


Sweet Nightmares - Book 2

by opal_sapphire



Series: Sweet Nightmares [2]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, F/F, F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 10:56:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18150953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opal_sapphire/pseuds/opal_sapphire





	1. The Brothers That Care Forgot

The park was full of playing children and their watchful parents. A group was playing soccer in the small field while another tore through the jungle gym.

Morgana shared a smile with Rebekah. They were taking turns pushing Hope in the infant swing. Right now it was Rebekah's turn. Morgana was standing next to her, arms crossed and nonchalantly looking around every so often.

Grendel suddenly jumped on her shoulder and growled. Morgana froze and followed his gaze, tapping Rebekah's arm.

There was a starling perched behind them, watching them. Its gaze was a little too intense to be a normal bird's.

Morgana glanced at Rebekah. She looked unnerved. Morgana raised an eyebrow and looked back at the bird.

It was now joined by the rest of its flock. All of them were sat on the jungle gym, watching with the same unsettling stare.

Grendel growled, and Morgana shared a horrified look with Rebekah. She grabbed Hope out of the swing, set her in the baby carrier and speed-walked to the car.

Rebekah pulled her phone out as Morgana situated Hope in the backseat.

"It's me," she said. "We have the baby and we're on the run. Esther found us. We're safe for now. We've lost her bloody starlings, but I have no idea where to go."

Morgana smiled at Hope and ushered Grendel inside. Hope adored him. Morgana shut the car door and walked around the car.

" _Do not tell Hayley!_ " Rebekah yelled. "Esther's too smart for that. The only advantage we have is that she thinks the baby died. Text me the plans."

Seeing Rebekah duck into the car, Morgana followed suit.  
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"Alright, you take her inside and I'll put up a barrier," Morgana said as Grendel hopped on her shoulder from the car.

Rebekah walked inside the diner. Morgana checked to make sure no one, not even any birds, were looking before she began. She called on the elements in turn, using them to put up the invisible barrier.

"Earth, I call upon you to protect I and my friends inside against anyone and anything that wishes us harm. Air, I call upon you to make it invisible to anyone who looks on it, so that we avoid suspicion. Fire, I call upon you to burn that which dares come through without permission to warn them of the consequences should they proceed. Water, I call upon you to drown that which persists without permission. I thank you for blessing me with the gift to ask for your help, and I thank you for blessing me by doing so."

Barrier set, she walked inside. Rebekah was sitting at a booth. Elijah was holding Hope, a huge smile on his face. He glanced up at Morgana, and she smiled.

She sat on one of the barstools. Grendel kneaded his paws on her shoulder. She looked at him and frowned. His eyes were narrowed at Elijah, and he kept glancing at the doors to what Morgana presumed was the kitchen. He wasn't making any noises, though. Either he wasn't too worried about it, or he didn't want Elijah to know he knew something.

"I can't imagine the joy of spending every day with her," Elijah said, sitting down.

"It's quite lovely," Rebekah replied. "It feels so human."

"Yes. Some would argue the most human of experiences."

"I know I have to give her back to Hayley when the time is right, but she's made me realize how much I want that child of my own that I know I can't have.”

"It's a lovely dream. Unfortunately it's one that's just beyond that reach, considering the curse of our existence."

"Seems Esther's attacking with her usual fervor."

"Yes, Mother tortured me for days with memories I thought I'd buried long ago. Then she made me an offer. To make us all mortal again."

Whoa. How the hell could that work?

"You see, Mother believes that by placing us in new bodies, we can then reclaim some kind of purity. We can begin families of our own again. And I have to confess, this invitation, however cruel in delivery, had a certain...appeal."

 _I'll bet_ , Morgana thought.

Rebekah reached across the table and took Elijah's free hand. Morgana narrowed her eyes slightly as Rebekah's face dropped.

"You needn't worry," Elijah said. "We're safe."

Rebekah glanced at him and smiled, but it almost seemed forced. Hope started crying, so Rebekah stood and grabbed the blanket.

"Looks like this little one needs her diaper changed," she said.

Elijah handed Hope to her, and she went for the bathroom.

Morgana winced and shot a look at Grendel. His claws were out and digging in her shoulder as he kneaded.

"Is something wrong?" Elijah asked.

"The birds have made him restless," Morgana replied. "Even with a barrier spell up around the place he's still not comfortable."

"Morgana, could you bring me the bag?" Rebekah called from the back.

"Coming," Morgana replied. She got off the stool, grabbed the bag and headed in the direction of Rebekah's voice.

She hissed and glared at Grendel. "What is with you?"

She walked through a set of doors and froze, biting her lip to keep from gasping.

Bodies and blood were everywhere in the kitchen. It seemed the only one who'd been spared was the waitress, and since she didn't seem to notice what was back here, she must've been compelled.

Morgana swiftly turned around and stepped outside. Elijah was still at the booth, his back turned to her. She looked to her right and saw Rebekah standing there holding Hope, shock written all over her face.

Morgana glanced at Grendel. His fur was fluffed out and he was tense. So that's why you're in such a mood, she thought.

Rebekah gestured for Morgana to follow her. They walked back over to Elijah like nothing was wrong.

"Well, she is all sorted and ready for an adventure!" Rebekah announced. "Aren't you, my love?"

Elijah stood and watched as Rebekah put Hope in the carrier.

"It's difficult to believe we were this innocent once," he said. "We mustn't let the world ever hurt her."

Rebekah rubbed his arm. "You're right. We mustn't."

She quickly snapped his neck. Morgana watched, mouth slightly open, as he fell to the floor. Grendel immediately relaxed and hopped on the table next to Hope.

"So," Morgana said. "What now?"

"Now I call Klaus," Rebekah replied.

Morgana nodded. Rebekah pulled her phone out. Hope began whimpering, and Grendel started purring. After a moment, Hope quieted down. Grendel continued purring.

Morgana smiled and sat down, scratching behind his ears. "You've grown fond of her, haven't you?"

"Nik, it's me," Rebekah said. Morgana looked up. "Something's wrong. Elijah slaughtered a dozen people whose only sin was their terrible taste in food. I mean when have you ever known him to kill when he could otherwise compel? It's the kind of act that will draw our mother's attention."

Pause. "I broke his neck to keep her safe, but I have no idea what to do now."

Pause. "Of course." She seemed confused.

Another moment passed and she put her phone away and picked up the carrier with Hope inside. Morgana stood and Grendel hopped on her shoulder. "Where are we off to?"

"A safe house in Arkansas," Rebekah replied.

Morgana cracked her knuckles. "Alright, I'm gonna check the area and take down the barrier."

Rebekah nodded, clearly still unnerved. Morgana went outside and called on Earth. She closed her eyes and spread her hands out. Not sensing anything out-of-place, she took down the barrier and went back in the diner.

"Coast is clear," she announced.

Rebekah handed Hope to her and put Elijah's arm around her neck to lift him up. Morgana called on Air to help support him, and they situated in the car.

As Rebekah started the engine, Morgana thanked Earth and Air, and they began the long drive to Arkansas.


	2. The Map of Moments

If there was one thing Morgana loved, it was decorating for Christmas. It was hers and Grendel's job to hang wreaths on all the doors in the safe house. Every. Single. One.

She hung one up on the front door, then grabbed the stack and walked back inside. Grendel jumped on her shoulder. She carefully made her way around the furniture, not able to see very well due to the wreaths.

She passed Elijah, and Rebekah appeared out of nowhere. Morgana nearly dropped the wreaths. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Rebekah was holding a bottle of wine. Morgana went to the hallway and sat the wreaths down to continue hanging them.

"Well, isn't this place rather nice!" She heard Rebekah say. "Nik must've compelled a wine lover to keep it up because I found a 2005 Bardot!"

"Save me a glass or two please," Morgana said.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Rebekah, but I do recognize when I'm being handled with kid gloves," Elijah said.

"How are you feeling?" Rebekah asked.

"Patronized. I am here to protect you."

"I know you mean to, Elijah--"

"And yet you find it necessary to render me unconscious before bringing me here?"

"You weren't yourself! And I needed to get us out of that diner. What happened back there?"

"I don't know."

Morgana glanced around the corner, brow furrowed. The wine was on the table. Elijah had sat down and was watching Hope in her play pen.

"Niklaus sent me to protect Hope," he continued. "My job is to keep her safe."  
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"It's alright, Elijah, she won't break," Rebekah said. "Everything you did was in the name of protecting her. I'm not worried."

She tossed another piece of wood on the pile. Morgana glanced over to the road for the umpteenth time, a piece of wood in her hand as well. She needed to pay attention for any sign of Klaus and Hayley so she could take the boundary spell down, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get through.

"Is that what I think it is?" Elijah asked.

"It's bonfire season!" Rebekah replied, walking over to him and Hope. "And I am reviving a family tradition. Especially since we're all going to be together."

"Only because we're fleeing from one of our deranged parents. Another Mikaelson tradition. It's a peculiar thing, never to be tired, yet forever exhausted by the sameness of things. Why is our family always at war?"

"I don't know. But being away with her made me see things differently."

Rebekah lowered her voice, and Morgana couldn't hear her anymore. She wasn't too concerned with that, as a black SUV barreled around the corner. She called Air and propelled herself to the barrier, taking it down just as she hit the ground.

Morgana glanced over and watched Elijah hand Hope to Hayley. Hayley held her daughter for a few minutes, then turned and handed her to Klaus. Morgana smiled and turned back to put the barrier back up.  
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"Curse on the firstborn?" Rebekah said. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

The four of them had gathered around to finish building the bonfire and share news.

"Well, according to Finn, our sister Freya didn't die of plague," Klaus replied. "She was taken as payment by our aunt Dahlia, who then cursed all Mikaelson firstborns for eternity."

"Is any of this true?" Hayley asked.

"It is if we are to believe Finn, who learned it from the bastion of truth, our mother," Elijah said, rolling up his shirtsleeves.

"Well no wonder Finn hates us," Rebekah said. "He lost the sister he adored and instead got a judgy pack of siblings who found him unbearably dull."

"Great," Hayley grumbled. "So is there any chance of us running into your loony aunt Dahlia any time soon?"

"The fable's over a thousand years old," Elijah replied. "Dahlia's long dead."

"Like Esther?" Morgana said drily.

"No one's going to hurt Hope because no one's going to find her," Klaus insisted. "There's enough wood, Rebekah. You'll burn down the whole bloody state of Arkansas."

"Well, we're just missing a key ingredient!" Rebekah announced, rubbing her hands together excitedly.

"No we're not," Klaus muttered.

"Yes we are, Nik! Back me up, Elijah!"

Elijah laughed. "I suspect Niklaus would rather choke on the ashes."

Morgana laughed.

"What are you all talking about?" Hayley asked.

"Well, before we light it, we write down our wishes to burn for luck!" Rebekah explained. "It was Kol's favorite part when we were kids."

"It's further evidence as to why we should ignore it!" Klaus argued.

"Hope's first bonfire season," Hayley mused, smiling. "I like it. We're doing it!"

She walked back to the house. Rebekah made a 'take that' face and followed her. Klaus looked to Morgana.

"I'm with them," she said, smiling. Klaus rolled his eyes, and Grendel made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh from somewhere behind Morgana.  
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Morgana watched as Klaus lit the bonfire. This was probably the most peaceful moment they would have together for who knew how long.

"Look what I found!" Rebekah called from the house.

Morgana glanced back to see her holding a Polaroid camera. She quickly glanced back over to Klaus and caught him turning away with his hands on his hips, muttering "Oh, bloody hell."

"Come on, let's try it!" Rebekah insisted. "Hey Nik, do you think you could cram us all into a selfie?"

"Oh, Niklaus is a virtuoso at cramming his siblings into confined spaces," Elijah said.

Morgana snorted.

"Well I'm just glad I traveled hundreds of miles to visit my mentally ill brother only to have him insult me to my face!" Klaus retorted.

"Oh, come on, just take the picture!" Rebekah interrupted.

Klaus sighed, held up the camera and snapped a photo. It rolled out from the bottom and he pulled it completely out. They watched as it developed.

Elijah was on the right, Hayley was next to him holding Hope, then Rebekah and Klaus. Morgana and Grendel were peeking over his shoulder. All of them, even Grendel and Hope, were smiling, except for Klaus. He had his best blank face on.

"Aw, see?" Rebekah said. "I wish that it could always be like this."

"If wishes were horses," Elijah sighed.

"Beggars would ride," Klaus finished. "You realize we'll have to burn it. You want me to make a wish for the family, Rebekah? I wish it didn't have to be like this. But it does."

He handed the picture to Hayley. "We can't risk it falling into the wrong hands."

Grendel crawled down from Morgana's shoulder and she held him, burying her face in his fur. She didn't want to watch that photo, that captured moment of happiness, burn.

"No, this isn't right!" Rebekah burst out. Morgana peeked up from Grendel's fur. "We deserve this. We earned this. I won't let it slip away. I know what to do to stop Esther."

"Rebekah, no," Elijah said. Morgana's eyes widened.

"I'm going to take her deal," Rebekah insisted. "And when I do, I'm taking her down with me."  
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Morgana leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. She'd gone back inside with Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah to talk about whatever the hell Rebekah was planning. Hayley was on the porch with Hope and Grendel.

"It'll work," Rebekah said. "She will be distracted by the spell. She'll be vulnerable."

"No," Klaus argued. "If we kill her, she body jumps."

"Then we stop her from jumping!"

"If I knew how to bloody stop her from jumping, don't you think I would've happily murdered her ages ago?"

"Well ages ago you didn't have a Harvest girl, a Mikaelson witch or Morgana! Kol knows all her tricks."

"Now you're both insane," Elijah sighed.

"Hardly, Elijah, it was your idea!" Rebekah argued. "You're the one who said she needed a win, and if we get this right then she'll have one."

"And if we get it wrong, you'll no longer be in your own body!" He said.

"Would that be worst thing? You were ready to do it yourself."

Morgana's eyes widened and she looked at him.

"It was a foolish moment," he said. "And one you sagely dissuaded me from."

"Hopefully we'll get lucky and stop the spell before I jump," Rebekah said.

"And if we're not you'll get what you always wanted," Klaus replied. "I mean, that's what you're saying, isn't it? You're willing to lose."

"I'm willing to risk losing, yes."

"Well, we need to find someone for her to jump in. Someone anonymous. Someone who could disappear with Hope."

"Rebekah, we've been together for centuries," Elijah said. "If you were human..."

"When I'm old and wrinkly, you can dump me back into my old body," Rebekah replied. "Nik already has a coffin he can store me in."

Elijah crossed his arms. "But to trust Kol?"

"It's not about trust, Elijah, it's about finding the proper leverage."

"She's right," Klaus said. "Kol will do what's best for Kol. We just have to meet his price."

"And what would that be?" Morgana asked.

He pulled out his phone and started dialing. "Let's find out, shall we?"  
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Morgana walked out on to the porch, pinching the bridge of her nose. She flopped down on a chair next to Hayley.

"Is there a plan?" Hayley asked.

Morgana snorted. "There's a something."

"Will it work?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. I'm going back with Rebekah and Klaus to help them stop Esther, and Elijah is staying here with you and Hope."

Hayley nodded, looking down at a sleeping Hope in her arms. Morgana smiled. She leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes, listening to Grendel's soft purrs.

"I thought your cat was always with you?" Hayley said. after a moment.

Morgana cracked open an eye. "He is. Most of the time. If he's feeling particularly lazy, then he'll stay home. Other than that he's my shadow."

"How old is he?"

Morgana squinted. "Um...387. He's sixteen years younger than me," she added, seeing the look on Hayley's face.

"So he's immortal, too?"

"When a witch has a Familiar, the Familiar lives as long as the witch does. Unless something happens. Grendel has been with me since I was sixteen."

"He's been out here with us the whole time."

"He likes you, and he likes Hope. He doesn't usually like children since they tend to tug on his tail. But he's rather fond of her."

Hayley looked at Grendel. He was curled up at her feet, eyes closed but head up, purring. Calm and watchful. Sensing he was being watched, he opened his eyes and looked up at Hayley, then Morgana. Seeing his witch, he got up, stretched and yawned, and padded over to her. Then he jumped up and settled on her lap. She started stroking his spine and closed her eyes.  
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"There you are."

Morgana started and Grendel hissed. She whipped her head to the side and saw Klaus in the doorway. Hayley must've gone inside with Hope, because neither of them were out here anymore. She and Grendel relaxed, and she rubbed her eyes.

"Here I am," she said groggily. "Is it time?"

He nodded. Grendel climbed up her shoulder as she stood. She passed Klaus in the doorway and said her goodbyes to Elijah, Hayley and Hope. Then she joined Rebekah and Klaus in the SUV.

Klaus was driving, Rebekah was in the shotgun seat, and Morgana was behind her with Grendel on her lap. Still tired, she leaned her back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Hopefully she'd manage to get some more sleep in before the spell.

She wondered what Kol would be like. She'd only met him once in 1914, then he disappeared. Of course, now that Morgana knew Klaus had daggered him, it made more sense.

"You are mad to give Kol that diamond," Rebekah said. Morgana kept her eyes closed.

"Our little brother has been plotting against me for years, and he hasn't gotten a lick of it right," Klaus replied. "Do you know what to do?"

"Yes. But if it doesn't go to plan, will you handle my body with care, please? I may miss the old model."

"If everything goes south, I'll be there to pull you out. We just have to take Esther down before she body jumps. I don't want all of this to have been for nothing."

"You and I on the same team. It must be Christmas."

 _Hell of a Christmas_ , Morgana thought. She fell asleep not long after.  
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Grendel hopped off Morgana's shoulder as soon as they entered the compound. She'd snuck into Lafayette cemetery moments earlier to grab the extra element candles she'd secretly stored in case of emergencies. Or in case she forgot to bring some with her from her place.

Klaus had texted her and nearly gave her a heart attack. Apparently Kol had to go back to the lycee to do his part of the spell. The shocking part was that Klaus had given him the white oak stake so Esther would think Kol was successful.

Now it was Morgana, Marcel, Davina and Cami. If this spell didn't go right, Rebekah would be placed in Cami's body, and who knew what the hell Esther would do. So no pressure.

"Hello, everyone," Morgana said, pulling her candles out of the vagina. "Good to see you all, though I gotta say, the circumstances could be a hell of a lot better."

She went and stood next to Davina at the table they were using and set her candles down around the hourglass in the center. Red, for Fire, went in the six o'clock position. Yellow, for Air, went to three. Blue, for Water, went to nine. Green, for Earth, went to twelve.

Davina began spreading salt, sand and herbs in a circle, connecting the candles even further. Something shiny caught Morgana's eye. She glanced at Davina and saw the cat charm Morgana given her on a chain around her neck. Morgana smiled to herself, pleasantly surprised Davina had kept it.

"Kaleb will link hourglass to Esther's," Davina said. "Ours will mirror hers."

Morgana blinked, then realized that if Kol could do magic, he must be in a witch's body. Kaleb was probably the name of the witch he was inhabiting.

"When the last sand falls, Esther will try and jump Rebekah into you," Marcel said.

"That's when we'll direct the spell from you to Esther," Morgana said. "It's meant to jam the signal just long enough to keep that kind of magic from working against anyone."

"If it works," Cami muttered.

"It'll work!" Morgana insisted.

"When Rebekah attacks Esther won't be able to jump her into you or herself anywhere else," Marcel added.

"And we're sure Kaleb is on board?" Cami asked.

Marcel and Davina nodded.

"He's on board," Marcel said. "He's a thief and a liar, but, like Elijah, he doesn't give his word lightly."

"Besides," Morgana said. "If he wasn't, I'd make him get his ass on board."

Cami gave a brief smile, but didn't seem too sure. Morgana couldn't blame her. After all, she was faced with the probability of being forced down and her body being inhabited by someone else.

 _Well_ , Morgana thought. _Esther has picked a hell of a group to go up against. She won't even know what'll hit her if I ever have the pleasure of meeting her._

Her fantasies were interrupted by the sand started to fall through in the hourglass. Cami stood and they all watched.

"Here we go," Morgana muttered.

One moment.

Two moments.

"Now," Marcel said.

"Not yet," Davina replied.

One moment.

Two moments.

At the third moment, the last grain of sand fell through the hourglass.

"Now!" Marcel said.

Morgana grabbed Davina's hand put her other hand up, palm out towards the hourglass. She closed her eyes and they began chanting.

Suddenly the hourglass exploded. Morgana shoved Davina behind her and shielded her from it. Grendel yowled somewhere from the other side of the table.

Morgana and Davina straightened and looked over to Marcel. He was holding Cami, who was unconscious.

"Did it work?" He asked.

"I have no idea," Davina replied.

He looked at Morgana.

"I don't know," she whispered, eyes wide.

Marcel gently set Cami in an armchair. Davina kneeled next to it and brushed Cami's hair out of her face. Morgana started pacing, and Grendel jumped on her shoulder.

Klaus barged in, carrying an unconscious Rebekah. He set her down on the couch opposite Cami.

"Cami's not awake yet either," Davina said.

"When she's up, we gotta get her out of the Quarter," Marcel said, rushing back in. Morgana hadn't even noticed he'd left the courtyard. "She's not safe here. Someone busted Finn out."

"Wait, Finn was here?!" Morgana said. "In the compound?! And no one thought to mention this?!"

"What could you have done that we already hadn't?" Marcel demanded.

"I am much more powerful than you give me credit for, Marcellus," Morgana growled. "Now who the hell broke Finn out?"

"My mother is using Mikael to do her dirty work now," Klaus said.

Morgana nearly choked. " _Mikael?!_ "

Before she could continue, Cami gasped. Morgana slowly approached.

"Camille?" Klaus said.

She looked around, not saying anything.

 _Please_ , Morgana thought.

"I suddenly love that stupid name!" Cami said.

Davina laughed and hugged her. Morgana sighed in relief and smiled. Klaus and Marcel smiled as well. They looked at Rebekah. She still wasn't awake. Marcel kneeled next to her.

"I couldn't stop the spell," Klaus whispered. He shared a look with Morgana and took off.

"Please tell me that your mother's dead!" Marcel called.

"Rebekah and I took extra precautions," Klaus replied. "Esther is exactly where she needs to be."  
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Morgana downed a glass of whiskey and poured herself another. Kol had given the white oak stake back. Davina and Cami had gone home and Rebekah still hadn't woken up. At least, not in her own body. If the spell hadn't been stopped, then she was more than likely trapped inside someone else.

"What are you thinking about?" Klaus asked, joining her at the bar in the courtyard.

"Stuff," she replied. "So, where should Cami stay? She certainly can't stay in the city right now."

"No, she can't," he sighed. "She should go to the safe house."

Morgana glanced at him. "You know that means she'll find out."

"Do you think that's a bad idea?"

"I think it's a fine idea. Cami would never tell a soul. Is there anything you want me to do while you're gone?"

"You're not coming with?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes." Klaus poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Unless you're needed somewhere else."

"I'm needed wherever I can help," Morgana replied.

"I'm surprised you want to."

She raised an eyebrow. "If I didn't want to help, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have helped you fight Genevieve. I sure as hell wouldn't have gone with Rebekah."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Point taken, love."

She smirked. "So when do we leave?"

"In half an hour."

Morgana nodded and finished her drink. "Right, I'm gonna go pick up some things and be back by then."

"What are getting?" Klaus asked.

"Witchy stuff."

He rolled his eyes and she smiled, wiggling her fingers at Grendel. He stalked across the bar top. When he passed Klaus, Grendel flicked his tail in his face. Klaus, who'd been about to take a drink, sputtered. Morgana laughed, and Grendel jumped on her shoulder.

"If you're not back in half an hour, I'm coming to get you," Klaus called as she walked out.

"I'd be offended if you didn't, Nik," she replied.


	3. Gonna Set Your Flag On Fire

"It has been said that all love begins and ends with she who gave us life," Klaus said.

He, Morgana and Cami were on their way to the safe house in Arkansas. What Cami didn't know was that she was about to meet Hope. As far as she knew, Hope had died eight months ago. Morgana couldn't wait to see her face.

"A thousand years ago," Klaus continued, "my mother turned us into monsters, yet still she claimed to love her children even as she vowed to destroy us. The noble Elijah, tormented by long-buried, shameful secrets. Kol, the wily troublemaker, out for no one but himself. Finn, the devoted acolyte, his love all too easily walked by our mother's sick hate. Fierce Rebekah, willing to risk everything on the chance that she may one day find happiness. And me, the bastard child. My mother's greatest shame. Now, finally, we have defeated her, giving her the choice she never thought to give us: To live as one of the monsters she created, or suffer the slow, agonizing death she deserves."

They got out of the car. Grendel immediately jumped on Morgana's shoulder. She followed Cami around the car and passed her and Klaus to take down the barrier.

"Um, congratulations, I guess," Cami said. "But right now I'm a little more worried about Finn considering I totally stabbed him in the back."

"He won't find you here," Klaus assured her. "This is the safest place you could possibly be. Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

They all walked up to the house. "I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family. The little troublemaker all the fuss has been about."

The front door opened, and out walked Hayley with Hope in her arms. Morgana watched Cami, a smile growing on her face.

"Camille, this is Hope," Klaus said.

Cami was stunned. "Oh my God. What? You said--I thought she was--"

"The only way to truly protect her was to convince the world of her death," he explained. "I hope you understand, once it is safe for you to leave here, this secret _cannot_ leave with you."

Cami, smiling wide, nodded. Eyes bright with tears, she walked over to Hayley and Hope. Hope grabbed at her finger. Hayley and Cami giggled.

"Oh, she's perfect!" Cami breathed.  
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"Now that we've entombed our mother, I intend to finish making the city safe for Hope," Klaus said, sitting on an armchair. "Which, to start, means dealing with the lingering problem of Finn."

He, Morgana, Cami and Elijah were gathered in the living room. Elijah was looking out the window, Cami was on the sofa and Morgana was sitting on an armchair across from her and next to Klaus. Grendel had gone off to be with Hope and Hayley.

"Once he figures out what you've done to your mother he's gonna go off the deep end," Cami said.

"Which is why you're staying here until further notice," Morgana replied. "I'm going back with Klaus and Hayley to deal with Finn."

"Elijah will remain here with you," Klaus said. "He's been experiencing some side effects since his ordeal as our mother's captive. Best he stays here and convalesce."

Elijah turned around. "A single violent outburst at a filthy roadside cafe and one never hears the end of it."

Klaus laughed. "Cami has a way with minds plagued by demons, brother. You two can bond."

Both Cami and Elijah seemed uncomfortable. Klaus didn't seem to care. "Well, if you'll excuse us, we'd best be on our way! Rebekah should have already woken up in the body of Angelica Barker. Once she has cut the ties of Miss Barker's former life, she'll make her way directly here. You should expect her shortly."

 _If everything went well_ , Morgana thought. _But she wasn't about to say that out loud._  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
If there was one thing that did not mix well, it was vampires and werewolves. Given the right (any) circumstances, they could literally and figuratively be at each other's throats. Sure, it was entertaining when you were watching it on TV or reading it in a book, but when you were actually in the middle if it? Not so much.

The latter was the exact situation Morgana was in now. She, Klaus, Hayley and Grendel had made it back to New Orleans safely. Now, as part of making the city safe for Hope, Marcel had brought his vampires to the compound. They were to meet with Hayley's pack to hopefully discuss the terms of their peace. It wasn't off to a good start.

Morgana, playing a sort of referee-type role, decided she'd had enough for the moment. Or century. Whichever she chose first.

She heard voices coming from Rebekah's room and decided to peek in. She walked up to have someone pass her. She turned to them, then turned back and looked at Klaus and Kol, eyebrows raised.

"Was that Finn?" She asked.

They nodded. Morgana cursed and sped downstairs to the courtyard. Finn had joined the crowd.

"And just how long do you think that's really going to last?" He was saying. "A month? A week? A day?" He backed up as he spoke. "What you don't yet seem to understand is that the only thing that can exist between your two degenerate species is hatred, war and death."

When he was just outside the compound, Finn rubbed his fingers together and blew on them. Realizing what he was about to do, Morgana called on Air and lifted herself down. Before she could stop him, he slammed his hand on the wall. The ground shook. He smiled, and a vampire woman tried to attack him. When she hit the barrier, she yelped.

"But I imagine," Finn continued, "given a little time confined together, you'll come to see things the way I do."

He left. Morgana shared a worried/pissed off look with Hayley and flew back upstairs. She found Klaus in his room testing the barrier.

"Your brother just trapped us all in here," she said. "And if I had to guess, I'd say that's not all he's gonna do."

Kol entered the room. "Did he really--"

"Yes," Morgana interrupted.

"This means we have a witch problem," Klaus grumbled, turning to them. "You're witches. Fix it."

He stormed past them. Morgana slapped him upside the head. He looked at her, eyebrows raised. Kol snorted, so she slapped him as well.

"Next time try something like, 'Hey, since you're witches, could you please try fixing this problem'," she growled.

She sighed. "This is a bloody good spell. We could use all the help we can get, if any."

Kol nodded. "I'm on it."

"In the meantime," Morgana continued, "I'll go get my candles and Grendel and set my stuff up to take this stupid thing down."

"Anything you'd like me to do, love?" Klaus asked.

"Don't antagonize our guests downstairs."

He rolled his eyes. She narrowed hers. "I'm serious, Klaus. Finn wants a bloodbath. Let's not give him one."

Minutes later Morgana rushed back downstairs. Her element candles had been lit in the right places. Now it was time to do the spell.

She joined Kol in front of the entrance. Davina was on the other side.

"Ready?" She asked.

They nodded. Morgana grabbed Kol's hand and held her other one up, palm facing Davina. Davina lifted her hands up to Morgana's and Kol's. Only the barrier prevented their hands from touching. They closed their eyes and began quietly chanting.

A burst of magic suddenly flew at them. Davina yelped and Morgana hissed.

"What just happened?" Davina asked.

"I assume that means we're all free to go," Klaus said from behind them.

"You shouldn't assume," Morgana replied.

"The spell's locking us out," Kol said.

"Vincent must be channeling something," Davina said. "A dark object, maybe."

The four of them shared frustrated glances. Morgana was really starting to get pissed now.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Klaus' phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at Morgana, gesturing for her to follow. She raised an eyebrow and followed him to the hall.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Klaus asked.

Morgana's heart dropped. There was no way Cami would take off or get kidnapped. Hope wouldn't be able to either. Hayley was trapped here with them. That only left...

Rebekah.

"Stay where you are," Klaus said. "I'll handle it."

He turned to Morgana.

"Rebekah?" She asked.

"Not in Angelica Barker," he replied.

She massaged her temples and growled. "Remind me again who was in charge of jumping her?"

"Kol."

"I'm gonna kill him."

"Everything all right?" Kol asked from behind her.

Morgana spun around and opened her mouth.

"It will be," Klaus stopped her. "Provided you've found a solution to this little quandary of ours."

She looked at him, eyebrows raised. He ignored her. She tilted her head a little, debating on slapping him again.

"Well, I might have," Kol said. "I'm not sure you're gonna like it though."

"I'm not sure we have a choice," Klaus replied.

"There are things that we need from the lycee, which means we need it clear of Finn. And, knowing him, there's only one thing that will distract him long enough."

"And what's that?"

"If you tell him where to find our mother."

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught Morgana's attention. She looked and saw what had to be every single vampire in the courtyard doubled over. She nudged Klaus, but he'd already noticed. He stepped a little in front of her. She raised an eyebrow. The two of them went to find Marcel.

He was in a separate room with Josh and the vampire woman from earlier. All three of them looked about as comfortable as the others outside.

"Your vampires seem to think lunchtime," Klaus said, still standing in front of Morgana.

She moved next to him. "Please tell me at least one of you is fine."

Marcel shook his head. "We're all hungry."

"Yeah," Josh agreed. "Like super-size hungry. And there's an all-you-can-eat werewolf buffet right through those doors."

Grendel suddenly bounded out of nowhere and jumped on Morgana's shoulder. She looked at Klaus. Or at least, where he'd been a moment ago. She sighed and looked back at the others.

"Right, I'm gonna close the doors behind me and try to figure this out," she said.

They nodded, and she left to find Klaus. He was in his room. Morgana leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms.

"Saint Roc Number One, the Delphine tomb," he growled. He hung up his phone and turned around.

"Any reason why you stopped me from tearing into Kol?" Morgana asked.

"I have better plans for him," he replied.

"Right. Come back downstairs, I've got an idea."

She led him to the same room as earlier. Marcel and Kol were waiting.

"Things are getting testy out there," Marcel said. "Come on, we better move this along."

"The boundary spell is too strong," Morgana said. "But Kol, Davina and I could try a destruction spell, which would temporarily neutralize all magical objects in the compound and the compound itself. That would give us exactly sixty seconds to get the hell out. Once that time limit is up, anyone who's still inside will be stuck again."

"Alright," Marcel replied. "That sounds good to me."

"If the spell works, it will suppress all magical objects," Klaus said. "Including your rings."

Marcel groaned. "And if we go outside without our rings, we're dead."

"Unless you wait for nightfall."

Marcel paused and looked out the door window. "They're all so new. They're not going to be able to fight the hunger. We can't wait until nightfall. We're going to have a bloodbath on our hands before we even get close."

"Then our best bet is to do the spell and get as many people out as we can," Morgana said. She gestured to Kol, and he followed her back to Davina.

They began preparing for the spell. Salt and sand went in a circle around them and reddish-pink flowers were placed in the middle. Morgana flew around the compound to check if her candles were still lit. When she got back, Marcel was shouting to do the spell.

She ran to Kol and grabbed his hand. They mimicked the same positions they were in earlier and began chanting. A gust of wind blew through and they stopped. Davina reached her hand through the barrier. Wait. Through.

"Go, go, go!" Morgana ordered. "Only sixty seconds!"

Hayley and Jackson rushed their pack and themselves out. Klaus stepped out as well. Grendel jumped on Morgana's shoulder. Marcel and his vampires watched, unable to leave due to the sunlight. Morgana felt a little guilty that she couldn’t do anything about it.

A pair of hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders and yanked her out. She gasped and saw Klaus, who shoved Kol back inside hard. So hard, in fact, that he fell and cut his forehead.

"Slight change of plans, brother," Klaus said. "I no longer have to treat you as anything other than the treacherous liar that you truly are!"

"Oh, so this is your so-called 'better plan'?" Morgana yelled.

"What the bloody hell?" Kol demanded at the same time.

"Where is she?" Klaus demanded.

"Please!" Davina begged. "They'll kill him!"

"Well he should've thought of that before he betrayed our sister! Rebekah never made it to her new body, did she? And seeing as you cast the spell and, well, you're you, I'd hardly call it an uncrackable case!"

Kol got to his feet and stormed over. "Rebekah's fine, Nik! It was a prank, nothing more than anything you lot have done to me, but I bet it's different when it's one of--"

He cut himself off with a yelp. The barrier was back up, and he'd burned his hand.

"Oh, barrier's back up," Klaus said.

The vampires, seeing their opportunity, began swarming around Kol.

"And those vampires look oh-so hungry," Klaus continued. "Now I was willing to welcome you back into my home! But you had to return to your petty, selfish jealousies! Well, let's see how well they help you survive when you're stuck in there!"

He stormed out. Morgana watched Kol back up, the vampires following him. She was so going to kill Klaus.

"Marcel," Davina called.

Marcel looked over at them for a moment. He turned and put himself between Kol and the vampires. He said something to Kol, and Kol booked it upstairs. Morgana took a deep breath and turned to Davina.

"Davina, we're gonna get him out of there," she said.

Morgana turned and went to find Klaus. His ass whooping was coming first. That, and he had contact with Finn.


	4. Brotherhood of the Damned

When Morgana did find Klaus on a random street, she stormed up behind him and shoved him.

"That was your 'better plan'?" She yelled. "To put his life on the line?"

"And what would you have done?" Klaus shot back. "Let him go unpunished?"

"Obviously not! You know how I am. I wouldn't be able to resist endlessly screwing with him. And 'petty, selfish jealousies', really? Pot meet kettle!"

"Doing this to Rebekah was a childish act! He was practically throwing a temper tantrum!"

"Woooow. I gotta say, I'm impressed. I mean, I know you can be hypocritical, but this takes the cake. You don't get your way and suddenly the bodies are piling up! Someone says no to you and they get their neck snapped! Someone dares to do what they want without harming anyone and happens to go against your wishes and they get daggered!"

"I see your point, Morgana."

"But do you get it, Niklaus?"

They were interrupted by his phone ringing. As he answered, Morgana noticed people passing them dressed in red and white clothes. It must be Carillon Eve, the day when the dead walk among the living while angels' eyes are covered.

"I've searched the entire French Quarter," Klaus said. "Finn has vanished. I can't remove the barrier that has you trapped until I have my hand around his throat."

Pause. "Davina. She doesn't know it yet but she's going to help me break this spell. Your job: keep Kol alive. At least until we learn Rebekah's whereabouts."

Pause. "Are you listening to me?"

His face dropped. "I will get you my blood. I will get you out of that house, Marcellus. Whatever it takes."

Klaus hung up and started walking. Morgana fell in step with him. "Please tell me this plan is better than your last."

"Funny."

"I'm serious, Klaus."

"Get Davina and meet me at the church. I'll explain there."

She nodded and ran back to the compound. Grendel, who was on her shoulder, grumbled. She slowed down. "Get in the jacket then, grumpy."  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana lit her Earth candle and placed it in its spot. Davina was finishing the salt runes. Klaus was pacing back and forth between them and the sacristy.

"Haven't you found Finn yet?" He demanded. "I must say, for witches of your caliber, your spells are not particularly efficient."

Grendel hissed. Morgana lit a small flame on Klaus' jacket. "Your brother is blocking the spell, so we're trying something else. If you want this to work, shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you."

"No need to get testy, love," he replied, slapping the flame out. "We all have the same goal."

"Really?" Davina scoffed. "Because my goal is to get Kol out of your house alive, which seems about number ten on your list."

"Number nine at least."

"What is wrong with you? He's your brother."

"Yes, and I also have a sister I care about more. So until he tells me where she is, Kol can rot as far as I'm concerned. And you might wanna get your villains straight, love, because Finn is the architect of this fiasco. So--"

"Klaus, so help me, if you tell us to hurry up, I will shove this candle in a place you don't want it and seal it shut," Morgana snapped.

Before he could respond, she grabbed Davina's hands and started chanting. "We du le mon ennemi en temps. We du le mon ennemi en temps."

Morgana suddenly saw flashes of Finn. He was in the cemetery, doing a spell over a bowl of blood with a fox tail, an antler and a feather on the side.

They stopped the spell. Davina turned to Klaus. "We saw glimpses of him. He's combining items. Totems. Representational magic."

"Where?" He asked.

Morgana and Davina went back in.

"Lafayette No. 1," Davina said. "The Lyonne tomb."

"And what's he using?"

Two bodies flashed in and out. They stopped the spell again, and Morgana looked at Klaus. "He's channeling your parents."

Klaus smiled. "And here I thought I was the poster child for least grateful offspring. Well then. Shall we go crash their little party?"

The girls rose and began following him out of the church. Grendel jumped from pew to pew. Suddenly Klaus stopped.

"What's wrong?" Morgana asked.

He dropped to the floor. She rushed over and knelt next to him, checking his pulse. "Klaus?" He didn't respond.

Davina knelt next to her and started slapping Klaus.

"As cathartic as I'm sure that is," Morgana mused, "I don't think that'll work. He's not just gonna drop like a sack of infuriating potatoes."

Grendel chirped at them from the nearest pew. Morgana glanced up at him. "No, you can't scratch him." He grumbled.

A phone started ringing. Morgana reached in Klaus' jacket pocket and pulled it out. She answered and put it on speaker. "Hey Cami."

"Cami?" Davina echoed.

"Morgana?" Cami replied. "Davina? Why are you answering Klaus' phone?"

"Because we can't wake him up," Morgana replied.

"What? Elijah collapsed too. What's going on?"

Morgana shared a look with Davina, feeling like a light bulb had just turned on in their heads at the same time.

"Finn," Morgana said. "The spell he's doing is to trap his brothers. If Klaus and Elijah have passed out, then..."

"Kol's in trouble," Davina finished.

"What do we do?" Cami asked.

"I have no idea," Davina replied.

"I think the only thing we can do is wait it out and pray no one dies," Morgana said. "Cami, listen, I'm gonna keep both Klaus' phone and mine on me just in case. If something happens call, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Cami replied.

Morgana hung up and stood. She went and grabbed her candles and positioned them around Klaus, using Air to knock some pews out of the way. She lit the candles and sat back down. Grendel jumped on her shoulder.

"Maybe if we focus on waking him up we can break the spell," Morgana explained.

"Will it work?" Davina asked.

"Honestly? I have no clue. Probably not, so don't get your hopes up. But don't get too pessimistic either, because that might mess with the spell."

She dragged a hand down her face. "I'm a powerful witch. You're a powerful witch. I'm thinking if we combine our magic together with my connection to the elements we might be able to make something happen. Keep your fur on," she added to Grendel. "I'm not forgetting about you."

Davina seemed confused.

"Familiars aid their witch's magic with their own," Morgana explained. "With all of us and the elements, there's a somewhat decent chance. I hope."

They joined hands. They didn't say anything. Just focused on waking Klaus up and waking him up now.

Klaus suddenly sat up. The others jumped, breaking their hold on each other and the spell.

"Are you alright?" Morgana asked.

He nodded, standing. "The same, however, cannot be said for your friends and the people of the French Quarter. Now," he added, looking to Davina. "I can stand here and explain to you the specifics, or you can show a little trust and come with me."

Morgana raised an eyebrow. Davina grabbed her coat and pushed past them. "I'm the one who's been waiting for you to move your ass. Let's go."  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
They pushed into the sea of people. The sun had set, and the group from the compound was nowhere to be seen.

"Everything's fine out here," Davina said. "Where the hell are they?"

"Split up, look around," Morgana replied. "Keep your phones on. Oh, that reminds me."

She pulled Klaus' phone out of her back pocket and handed it to him as Davina headed off. "Please don't forego calling or texting."

She turned and went in the opposite direction Davina took. After a few minutes, she slowly turned in a circle and glimpsed Davina with Kol. A smile flashed across Morgana's face, and she pulled out her phone to call Klaus.

"They must be somewhere safe, because one, I'm not hearing terrified screaming, and two, Davina found Kol and now they're making out in the middle of the street," she said.

"Didn't need that visual, love," he replied.

"I didn't need it either. Where are you?"

"On my way to Marcel's."

"I'll meet you there."  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana entered Marcel's loft. She hadn't been here before, so finding the right room was a pain. When she did she was greeted by empty blood bags and Klaus on the phone.

"No, you're needed where you are," he was saying.

Morgana noticed how…empty it was. There was no one here, but judging by the amount of emptied blood bags they had to have been here at some point.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly go flinging around terms like "safe." Marcel and all his vampires have inexplicably disappeared. Kol is in the wind, Rebekah is still lost, and Finn is dangerously suspicious of the secrets we keep. Speaking of which... I meant what I said. I am capable of forgiveness. We need to remain focused on our common enemies. I'll be in touch."

Someone walked in behind Morgana. One of the werewolves who was trapped in the compound.

Klaus turned. "Ah, the cavalry has arrived. And right on time. No doubt eager to save your precious Josh."

"Yes," he replied. "Just tell me what you need."

"You can start by questioning your wolves. Find out what Finn has done with Marcel and his vampires."

"Well I would, but most of the wolves took off for the bayou, waiting for Hayley and Jackson to finish their wedding trials."

Wedding trials? Hayley and Jackson were getting married?! Wow, Morgana had missed a lot since she'd left.

"And what kind of trials might those be?" Klaus asked.

"Your basic old school werewolf stuff. They go into the woods and smoke this blue calamus root out of a pipe."

"Blue calamus?" Morgana said. "That's a truth serum. Pretty strong stuff. Why would they smoke that of all things?"

"In generations past it was used among the wolves for divulgement rituals," Klaus explained. "Ancient rites where secrets are confessed. I don't suppose they mentioned such a thing?"

"They just said they had to do a bunch of rituals and ceremonial stuff," the werewolf replied.

"And where exactly did Jackson take Hayley?"

"Back country. Deep bayou. Why?"

"That'll be all," Klaus said, heading for the door. "Stay on point."

Morgana shot the werewolf an apologetic look before following Klaus out the door. "Klaus, slow down! I'm coming with you, and you're gonna fill me in on everything I've apparently missed!"


	5. Sanctuary

"I am going to kill that poor excuse of a man," Morgana growled. Grendel growled back in agreement.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Klaus had jumped out and sped off into the bayou, leaving them behind. She knew he'd heard her shouting for him. She wasn't quiet when she was pissed, and storming after him with little to no clue as to where the hell she was going was only making her angrier.

Though Morgana had to give Klaus a little credit. She didn't have to hammer answers and explanations out of him like she'd thought. Quite the opposite, actually, as he'd told her everything she'd missed. She assumed it was everything, anyway.

Apparently, Hayley and Jackson were getting married. The union would connect them to each other, obviously, but also connect Hayley to the rest of the pack. Since she's a hybrid and can change into a wolf any time she wants, this would enable the rest of the wolves the same ability, thus breaking the witches' apparent control over them. A wonderful plan. Just one little problem.

Okay, not so little. Quite huge, actually.

See, before the wedding ceremony can take place, the happy couple have to go through some prenuptial rituals. Including smoking blue calamus root and divulging any and all secrets to each other.

No one could know about Hope, not until it was safe. If Hayley went through with the ritual, that secret would come out. If she didn't, the wolves would be stuck where they were.

Klaus' panic was completely understandable. Morgana was feeling a little terrified herself. Difference was she expressed it in a...healthier way than him. To put it mildly.

Morgana found herself in a clearing, facing a rather large group of people. All of whom were staring at her. She could only imagine what she looked like, having trekked through the woods and scratching herself on innumerable branches. And that was just this past...however long. She wasn't really keeping track anymore.

"Anyone seen a blonde asshat?" She asked.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Klaus!"

He turned. "Took you long enough."

"Well, if you had been so kind as to remember that I lack vampire speed, I wouldn't have spent who knows how long following your sorry ass through miles of bayou," Morgana spat. It was then she noticed the old woman in the house behind Klaus.

Morgana raised her hand in a wave. "Hi." She looked back to Klaus. "Leave me behind again, Niklaus, and I'll burn a hole through the back of your pants."

He rolled his eyes and walked away. She stomped after him. "I hope you know where you're going."

"What's put you in such a mood?" He muttered.

"Your disappearing act."

"Might want to take some of your own advice and calm down, love."

Morgana flicked her wrist and sent Klaus flying backward a couple feet. "I'm not on a murderous rampage."

Voices drifted over from just ahead.

"That was my secret." Jackson. "Whatever yours is, if you don't want to tell me, then don't. Doesn't change a thing, least of all how I feel about you."

 _Okay, that was sweet_ , Morgana thought as she and Klaus approached.

"Quite the romantic sentiment," Klaus said. "I wonder, however, if I might impose on this lovely tableau long enough to have a word with Hayley."

Jackson hesitated. Hayley, standing behind him, squeezed his shoulder. "It's okay. Go ahead, I'll meet you back at Mary's."

Grendel chirped at Jackson as he passed him and Morgana, who gave him an apologetic look. Jackson just nodded at them.

She sat down and leaned back against a tree with a sigh. This was gonna be an...interesting conversation. She'd probably end up playing referee.

She noticed the markers sticking out of the ground. There were quite a lot, actually. As she looked around, Morgana realized that this was a graveyard. She glanced over her shoulder and let her shoulders slump in relief; she was leaning against a tree, not one of the markers. Always good to double check. No sense in risking pissing off the dead.

"Have you lost your mind?" Klaus demanded.

 _Here we go_ , Morgana thought.

"Are you seriously considering this preposterous truth-telling idiocy?" He continued.

"Actually I'm kind of on the fence," Hayley replied.

"Well then, allow me to make this simple for you: under no circumstances will you divulge any family secrets, especially none that would endanger our child."

"Except it's not that simple, Klaus. You saw what Finn did. He's growing more powerful by the day. Right now he controls over half the wolves. This marriage could change that."

"The outcome of your strategy is not worth the risk it imposes on our daughter!"

"Well it's not a risk if I trust Jackson!"

Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Klaus, think," Hayley continued. "We could have a whole army of wolves who could protect Hope as one of their own."

"Hope doesn't need a wolf army," he snapped. "I'm protect her myself. And an easy time I'll have of it, too, without you running off sharing secrets with every motley member of your werewolf brethren."

" _Damn_ it, Klaus!"

Morgana flinched. Grendel's fur fluffed a little. She wasn't sure she'd ever heard Hayley yell like that. Seemed to shock Klaus as well.

"This is our chance," Hayley continued. "We can bring her home. We have to at least consider this."

"I have considered it," Klaus said, "and I have deemed it absurd, and in this matter there is no one above my decree. Not even you."

He took a step closer to her. "You will tell Jackson the wedding is off."

"Well now he's just being more of an asshole than usual," Morgana whispered to Grendel. He meowed quietly in agreement.

"It's a good thing I don't take orders from anyone," Hayley growled. "Especially not from you. I am done listening to you. Let me know when you want to have a new conversation."

She began storming away. Morgana stood as Klaus grabbed Hayley's arm. "Hayley!"

She yanked her arm away. "I'm not gonna stand here quietly while you tell me what I can and cannot do to protect my daughter."

"Our daughter," Klaus corrected her.

"Right. Ours. But it was your mother who tried to kill her, and who knows what your equally psychotic brother is up to?"

"I will deal with Finn."

"And then what? Hope will always be the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson, the hybrid killer with a thousand enemies."

Morgana winced. She had a point there.

"Don't you get it? It's you. You're the threat. You're so paranoid that you can't see this wedding can help her. She can come home. The wolves will be on our side."

"The wolves cannot be trusted!" Klaus snapped.

"In your paranoid mind nobody can be trusted!" Hayley shot back. "Where does it end?"

"There is no end! Need I remind you I killed my own father to protect her?"

"Really? That's why you killed him? Or is it just that you were so terrified of letting someone, anyone, in?"

Hayley's voice turned into a whisper. "I know this wedding can work. We can bring our little girl home. But you have to trust me."

Morgana gnawed her bottom lip. Klaus gently placed his hand on Hayley's cheek. "I do trust you. More than you know."

_Crack._

" _Niklaus!_ " Morgana yelled. Grendel yowled.

She stormed up to him, but before she could do anything he handed Hayley, whose neck he’d just broken, to her and sped off.

 _"Get back here you jackass!_ "  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana wished there was a spell she could do that fixed a broken neck immediately. Night had fallen, and she was still torn between staying with Hayley and going after Klaus. There was no doubt in her mind that he intended to kill Jackson.

She chewed her lip. She didn't want to leave Hayley alone while she was unconscious, but Hayley could take care of herself. With the luck that had been going around, though, this would be the one time Morgana left and something would happen.

She stood and began counting to ten. If Hayley didn't wake up by then, Morgana would leave.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Grendel hopped on her shoulder.

6.

7.

8.

Hayley shot up, gasping. Morgana thanked whoever was listening and pulled her up. "Come on, I'm right behind you!"

Morgana called on Air and flew after Hayley. Sounds of fighting rapidly grew closer.

Suddenly Hayley lunged forward, tackling Klaus off of and away from a beaten and bloody Jackson and began punching him. Morgana skidded to a stop and called on the rest of the elements. Thunder crashed through the sky as gusts of wind blew through the area.

Klaus threw Hayley off him and stood. Hayley and Morgana stepped between him and Jackson. Fireballs blazed in Morgana's hands. Grendel had jumped down from her shoulder and was now crouched on the ground next to her, hissing and growling low in his throat.

"I trust him, Klaus," Hayley said. "Do you hear me? You're not gonna kill him. Not unless you wanna go through me."

"You truly believe that he is worthy of your trust?" Klaus asked.

"Yes."

"Oh, you are stubborn, little wolf. Perhaps you two were meant for each other. Go on then. Tell him. Have your wedding. Save your wolves." He looked behind them at Jackson. "But you mark my words: if you ever betray her, I will find you, and I will deposit your head on the end of a spike. Perhaps I'll leave it in your grandmother's garden."

Klaus waited a beat longer, his gaze lingering on Morgana. She snuffed out the fireballs. He left. Grendel stopped growling, and she thanked the rest of the elements.

She went with Hayley and Jackson back to his grandmother, who turned out to be the old woman she'd met earlier. Morgana didn't go inside, instead lingering in front of the entrance and beckoning to Hayley.

"I'm sorry I didn't chase after Klaus before," she said. "I'm a little paranoid myself, and I was afraid that if I left you behind something would happen to you. Don't get me wrong, though, I know you can take care of yourself."

"It's alright, I get it," Hayley assured her.

"I should probably get back to the compound," Morgana sighed. "Do you need anything?"

"No, you go. I'll be fine."

Morgana nodded. "I've got someone's ass to kick.

Hayley smirked.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana knocked once on the door frame. Klaus turned.

"Stop leaving me behind," she said, passing him and flopping on couch. He handed her a glass of whiskey and sat next to her. Grendel curled up on the top of the backrest.

Morgana swirled the amber liquid in her glass. She didn't actually want to say anything, didn't want to start something. The last thing they needed right now was to be fighting each other when that energy should be directed at Finn. But it bothered her, the way Klaus claimed to trust them and then did the exact opposite.

A tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She looked up and met Klaus' concerned gaze. "What's wrong?"

She blinked, trying to decide if she was going to voice her concerns.

"You can tell me, love," he assured her.

Morgana sighed and looked away. "I just...Hayley has a point." She glanced back at him. "You don't trust anyone, I mean."

"I trust you, Morgana," he said.

"Do you?" She whispered. "Because to be honest, Nik, sometimes you act like you don't."

He looked away. So did she. Neither of them said anything for a long few moments until Klaus took her hand and squeezed. Morgana looked back at him.

"You've never given me a reason not to trust you," he said. "So I do."

She took a deep breath and nodded, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips. She set her glass down on the table in front of them and leaned her head on his shoulder. With Grendel's soft purrs behind her and Klaus rubbing small circles on her hand with his thumb, Morgana closed her eyes, fully prepared to fall asleep.

And she would've, too, if the sudden sound of footsteps didn’t catch their attention. She and Grendel startled, and the three of them watched the doorway.

A woman walked in, someone Morgana had never seen before. Yet, somehow, she felt like she knew her.

"I don't suppose you imagined that Always and Forever would lead us to this," the woman said.

"Rebekah," Klaus said.

She laughed. "You absolutely will not believe the week I've had."


	6. The Devil is Damned

Morgana followed Klaus' and Rebekah's gaze to a portrait of her.

"That is just not my chin, Nik," Rebekah said. She sounded slightly offended. "It was much more delicate."

"The only delicate thing about you, sister, is your ego," Klaus replied.

Rebekah turned around, smiling. "Well, placed next to the behemoth size of yours, certainly!"

Morgana let out a (rather loud) laugh and immediately covered her mouth. She was unable to hide her smile, though, especially when Grendel chirped his own laugh.

"Could we dispense with this fascinating dispute for just a moment and return to the subject of our supposed long-lost sister?" Elijah's voice came through the phone.

Ah, yes. Apparently, Rebekah had been trapped not only in another body, but in a mental hospital for witches as well. And then there was the woman who was claiming to be Freya, the eldest Mikaelson, whom Esther's sister Dahlia had taken. How was that for a shocker?

"There's not much to discuss, Elijah," Rebekah sighed. "She said she was Freya, and then she darted off into the night."

"And you believed her?"

"Well, I met the girl in a mystical loony bin. She could be anyone telling any lie. But she did seem...familiar, somehow."

"Then how is she still alive?" Klaus demanded. He began pacing. "A question, as ridiculous as its possible solutions, given this family's annoying predilection for cheating death."

"I don't know, Nik, I'm just telling you what she said," Rebekah said.

"Well, did you happen to ask if, by some miracle, our aunt Dahlia lives as well?"

"I barely had a chance to process--"

"Because on the list of obvious questions, it would be nice to know if the woman who placed a curse on the firstborns of this family is still breathing air."

"Well let me just turn back time and do it again to your liking then!"

"Oh, knock it off, you two!" Morgana snapped. "You can argue to your heart's content later."

"If she is who she says she is, we'll find out soon enough," Elijah added. "For now, it remains imperative that no one learns of Hope's existence. This has been our salvation thus far."

"Unless Hayley's husband-to-be starts flapping his gums," Klaus said. "Perhaps I should take preventative measures and separate him from his head?"

"Only in your dreams, Klaus," Morgana sighed.

"Jackson will do nothing to jeopardize that wedding," Elijah said.

"Hayley's getting married?!" Rebekah exclaimed.

"That's what I said!" Morgana replied.

"Well, what in hell else did I miss?"  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"What's going on?" Morgana asked. She had brought Rebekah up to speed with what was going on. At some point, Klaus had disappeared to another part of the compound. Rebekah had gone off as well a moment ago, calling him.

Morgana was going to take a quick nap, but that plan was thrown out when Grendel insistently pawed at her shoulder. After groaning at him, she'd followed him upstairs to Klaus and Rebekah in the study. Neither of them seemed particularly happy.

"Finn has Marcel," Klaus announced.

"What, why?" Rebekah replied, horrified.

"I don't know," Klaus growled. Nor do I know where they are, what they're doing or what specifically to do about it." He picked a small statue up off the mantel and slammed it back down. "This family makes me want to murder people."

"I see my timing is impeccable as usual."

They all turned to see Kol standing behind them. Grendel growled low in his throat. Morgana suddenly had the urge to punch Kol. Hard. And not in the face.

"Well, the traitor just thinks he can waltz in here like he's welcome!" Klaus said.

"As gracious as your apology better be," Rebekah growled, "you're still getting one hell of a slap!"

She lunged at Kol, who held up his hand to try to stop her. "Wait, wait! I understand the irony of what I'm about to say, but I need your help."

Klaus laughed.

"That's more than ironic, buddy," Morgana said. "That's ballsy."

"Figure out how to undo your wicked little body swap and then we can talk about help!" Rebekah yelled.

"Look, you don't understand, Nik," Kol said. "Finn has locked me in this body, no more jumping. He's put a curse on me, Nik. I am dying."

Morgana narrowed her eyes. Klaus raised his eyebrows, and Rebekah just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"You don't believe me," Kol said.

"Well, you're hardly the champion of truth-telling," Klaus shot back.

"Of course, why would a brother expect his siblings to come to his aid?"

"Oh, spare me the pity party, Kol! Your recent actions merit a certain allowance for disbelief."

"Look, I know what I've done!" Kol rounded on Rebekah. "But I won't apologize for trying to pull one over on you, Beks. You deserved it! But I don't deserve to die! Certainly not at the hands of my own family!"

Klaus grabbed his arm, spinning him around. "What kind of con are you playing?"

"The con I hate the most." Kol yanked his arm away. "The truth."

Morgana would like to say she believed him. On the other hand, he had played them all before. Who was to say he wouldn't do it again? Not to mention she didn't know him that well. He hadn't exactly made a good impression on her.

"He's not lying," Rebekah said. "Even as a boy, Kol never lied once called out on the act. He may play dirty pool, but he's not lying."

"Nik, I was helping Marcel for Davina," Kol said. "Finn has got him. He's trying to get a secret out of him, something he thinks Marcel knows about you."

Morgana held her breath for a moment, keeping her face neutral. Klaus and Rebekah shared a worried look.

 _Could they be any more obvious?_ Morgana inwardly groaned.

"He's right, isn't he?" Kol asked.

"Marcel doesn't know anything about anything," Klaus insisted.

"Well if I were you, I'd hope that that's true, because believe me, Finn has the means to get it out of him."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When frustrated, Morgana liked to imagine the satisfaction of causing bodily harm to whatever or whoever was the source. Right now that was Kol. She still hadn't slapped him. Instead she was laying out candles, salt and herbs with him and Rebekah for a spell.

"So what is the secret anyway?" Kol asked.

"The term secret implies something only known by those who have earned the right to be aware of it," Klaus replied. "Start the spell."

"Finn is channeling your parents, Klaus," Morgana said. "That doesn't make this easy."

"He's a lot stronger than something some week-old witch and I can do," Kol added, gesturing to Rebekah.

Morgana raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask what that made her, Rebekah spoke. "Now hang on! I may not be trained, but I--"

All the magical objects suddenly blew away. Morgana winced. Rebekah slowly sunk down into a nearby chair. "Oh, blast."

"If it makes you feel any better," Morgana said, "my little sister accidentally set my dress on fire because she thought it was hideous." She smiled. "She was right. She saved me from the embarrassment of wearing that thing in public."

Rebekah smiled a little. Klaus approached the table. "We need a stronger witch. Call Davina."

"I'm right here, Niklaus, I can hear you," Morgana snapped at him. "Quit ignoring me."

Both men ignored her as Kol shot to his feet. "No, no, no, no, no. I don't want her to know that I'm sick!"

"Then do a better bloody job!" Klaus snapped.

"I just need time!"

"The spell Finn cast to lock you in your body--do you remember it?"

"Well, I was a little distracted by the murdering part."

"If we can use his own spell against him, once he's locked in his body I can end our collective woes with a brief snap of the neck. All I need to do is pull it from your memory."

Kol backed away. "Oh, no, no, no. I am not allowing anybody into my mind, do you understand?"

"You came into my home, asking for my help. This is it. It's not a request."

Klaus lunged at him and grabbed his head. After a moment he pulled away and glared at Kol. Morgana exchanged a confused look with Rebekah. Kol seemed nervous.

"See?" He said. "I'm guessing by the look on your face that it worked."

Klaus threw him against the wall. Kol's forehead hit it with a loud thud.

"What the hell?!" Morgana yelped.

"You come simpering for brotherly love, and that whole time you were plotting against me with that damn dagger!" Klaus said. "You're no better than Finn!"

"Oh, and you threatening me makes you better than Finn, does it?" Kol shot back.

"Both of you, just stop it!" Rebekah cut in, standing.

Kol stood as well. "I came to you because you're my family! But I see whilst you and Rebekah and Elijah are all hanging portraits and sharing secrets, I'm the odd one out! You wanna know where Finn is? You wanna find a way to kill him? Well you can figure it out yourself!"

He held his hand out towards them and suddenly Morgana couldn't breathe. Her head felt like something was trying to force its way out from inside, and it _hurt_. And then it was gone.

She blinked rapidly and shook her head, realizing she was kneeling on the ground. Grendel bumped his head against her knee, and she scratched behind his ear. She looked around.

Kol was gone. Klaus was on his knees. Rebekah was back in the chair. Morgana took a deep breath and sat back against the wall. Rebekah stood and began walking away.

"Your stupid temper will be the end of you one day," she said. "Just know that."

"Just couldn't help yourself, could you Nik," Morgana sighed.

Klaus shot her a look.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not the one who pissed him off. And I still didn't get to slap him."

Grendel bumped her knee again. She looked at him and noticed something on his paws.

"Grendel, is that blood?" She asked.

He looked mighty proud of himself.

"Did you scratch Kol?"

He meowed. Morgana smiled a little and kissed the top of his head. "That's my boy."

A phone started going off. She looked up at Klaus, who answered his phone. "What is it, Hayley?"

His face dropped, and he stood. Morgana followed suit. "What's wrong?"

He didn't respond. Instead he lowered the phone and dialed.

"What's going on?" Rebekah called from the railing.

"No clue, but it doesn't seem good," Morgana replied. Rebekah hurried down the stairs.

"Pick up the damn phone, Elijah!" Klaus yelled into his phone. "Finn is trying to find Hope!"

Morgana's stomach dropped. He hung up.

"She's safe, Nik," she said. "It'll take a lot of power to take down that cloaking spell."

She forced as much conviction in her voice as she could. Truth be told, Morgana was more than a little scared. Yes, the spell she put up was strong. She was a powerful witch, after all, she knew what she was doing.

On the other hand, Finn was also a powerful witch. And he was channeling both his parents, which only added to his power. Morgana had seen what he could do, and who knew what else he had up his sleeve.

But right now her goal was to reassure Klaus that his daughter was safe.

"I would say the same about Mother finding the two of you, and yet a flock of starlings later and here we are!" He replied.

"He won't let him get to her, Nik," Rebekah said. "But you need to remain calm."

"Our brother doesn't do calm." Kol's angry voice rang out behind them.

He blew a powder in Rebekah's face, and she dropped unconscious. Morgana caught her. " _Are you kidding me Kol?!_ "

She put Rebekah on the chair and heard Klaus shout behind her. She whipped around and saw Kol using magic to make Klaus cough up blood.

Grendel yowled and launched himself at Kol, who yelled in pain and tried to shake him off. Grendel didn't budge, instead biting his shoulder.

Morgana threw a fireball at Kol, purposely missing him by an inch. "Don't make me hurt you, Kol. I will not miss anymore."

Kol reached up, feeling around for Grendel.

" _Touch him and you die!_ " Morgana shouted.

What was left of her patience was gone. She used Air as a boost and lunged at Kol, tackling him to the ground. Grendel jumped and landed next to them and bit Kol again. Kol flung Morgana off him. She used Air and Earth to soften her landing.

It grew darker in the courtyard as clouds quickly rolled in. Thunder clapped loud and clear above their heads. Morgana stood, fireballs back and ready to fly. The ground shook under Kol's feet.

Klaus suddenly grabbed him and threw him against the wall, holding him there by his throat.

"Go on!" Kol said. "Go on, finish it off! Go ahead, kill me!"

Klaus dropped him. "I'm not going to kill you, you idiot! Despite your behavior, you're still my brother!"

"Yeah, just the one you dagger repeatedly," Kol replied.

"I've daggered all of you! Each for your own good! If you don't agree with my motives, fine. I never claimed to be the bastion of temperance! But stop this drivel about being singled out and unloved."

He crouched in front of Kol. "You are a Mikaelson. You're my blood. And I need you. I need you by my side."

"What does it even mean, Nik? You talk about family. Family this, family that. I haven't even earned the right to share your secrets, have I?"

"No. You haven't. But by all means, brother, prove yourself. It's not too late."

Klaus held his hand out to Kol. By now Morgana had extinguished the fireballs and the thunder had stopped, but the clouds were still there.

Kol took his hand, and they both stood.

"Finn wants your blood," Kol said. "He promised to heal me if I delivered it."

"You know where he is?" Klaus asked.

"You've gotta tell me why he wants it."

Klaus hesitated.

"Look, Nik, you've gotta trust me for once in your life and I will stand by your side. I promise."

"You would risk your life to help me?"

"I know enough about dark magic to know that I'm hexed."

Morgana's eyes widened. The clouds began disappearing.

"There's no reversing what Finn's done to me, which makes him a murderer and a liar," Kol continued. "And if I'm gonna die, I'll be damned if he gets what he wants."

"Finn has been dead to me for a long time," Klaus said. "Tonight I intend to make that official. Help me, and then I will share my secret with you."

"He'll be in the bell tower of the St. Louis Cathedral," Kol said after a moment. He smiled a little and put Klaus hands on his head. "Go inside my head. Find the spell. Let's finish this."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
They all rushed into the bell tower. There was no one there, only a table with the remains of a spell laid out on and around it.

"Where is he?" Klaus demanded. "Is this a trick?"

"He said he'd be here, I swear," Kol insisted.

"This is quite the spell," Morgana mused, walking around the table. "An ancient one, it looks like."

She noticed something odd on the table and picked it up. It was a burnt piece of wood, covered in ash.

"What is that?" Rebekah asked.

"Give me a moment," she mumbled.

She held her free hand out to Kol. He raised an eyebrow at her. She frowned. "Give me your hand so we can fix this thing."

He took her hand, and she started chanting. "Sanguinatum planicium. Sanguinatum planicium."

Morgana checked the wood. It was restored.

"It's a runic tile," she said. "I don't know what the symbol means, though."

Kol took it and examined it for a moment. "It means 'baby.'"

This time Morgana couldn't hide her reaction. Her gaze immediately went to Klaus and then Rebekah.

"That's it, isn't it?" Kol breathed. "Your baby's still alive."

"Finn tricked us into running about all day thinking he was looking for a way to find Hope," Rebekah started.

"When he knew where she was all along," Klaus finished, pulling out his phone and dialing. "Finn knows. About Hope, about everything. I don't know how long until he gets there but he is on his way."

After a moment, he began pacing and dialed again. And again. And again.

"Cami's not answering," he said.

"Elijah will protect them," Rebekah insisted.

"Finn is channeling both our parents. He's too strong. We need to find a way to sever his link to them. How do we do that?"

"I can't sever the link," Kol said.

"That thing is near impossible for me as well," Morgana agreed. "I don't have enough time."

"But there's something we can try," he said. "It'll take power of our own. And a lot of it."

Kol led them all the way to the Lyonne tomb in the cemetery and sent Klaus off to get some things for the spell. Kol began lighting candles and setting them around it.

"We can't get in without Finn's blood," he grumbled.

"Well, how do we disrupt Finn from channeling our parents if we can't even get through the bloody binding circle?" Rebekah asked.

"We're not here to disrupt Finn's power, we're trying to overload it."

"Are you daft?! You want to make him stronger?!"

"A witch can only channel so much power at once," Morgana explained, helping Kol. "Try taking on too much, and you begin the agonizing process of literally disintegrating from the inside. Finn will either have to let go of the power or let it kill him."

"But he won't be dead, he'll just body-jump," Rebekah argued.

"Yes, into a body three hundred miles away from the niece he's trying to 'nap," Kol said.

"In case you're wondering, this is the side of you I like."

Kol looked back at her and stood. "Look, I'm going to get you back in your body, Beks, if it's the last thing I do. I promise."

"Right now just worry about how in blazes I'm going to be any use to you whatsoever when I know nothing about magic."

"You don't need to know anything about magic. I'm just going to have to channel you."

With the candles in place, Morgana stood just as Klaus came back with a duffel bag.

"Did you get me what I asked for?" Kol asked.

Klaus dropped the bag. "Mystical artifacts and dark objects galore, from my own personal collection garnered over a thousand years."

Kol kneeled in front of the bag and rifled through it. "I wondered where these had gone! Half this stuff is mine!"

Morgana muttered a curse under her breath, impressed by how much there was.

"There's more," Klaus said.

He pulled out the Tunde blade from inside his jacket and tossed it on the bag. Then he pulled out the white oak stake and offered it to Kol. Morgana inhaled sharply.

"You're going to trust me with this?" Kol asked.

"Whatever you need," Klaus replied. "Whatever it takes."

"Alright." Kol took the stake. "Let's get started."

He placed the stake on the altar and pressed one hand against the wall. Morgana took his other hand and offered her free hand to Rebekah, who took it and placed her free hand on the wall. Grendel jumped on Morgana's shoulder.

"Los triforce comète. Los triforce comète."

Suddenly they were all forced backwards. Morgana noticed Kol looking ill, as well as blood leaking from his nose.

"Oh, we're close," he said. "We just need something to put it over the top."

"Take me," Klaus said.

Morgana's heart leapt into her throat. He'd be fine, she knew that, but there was always that nagging voice whispering in her ear everything that could go wrong. Kol looked unsure as well.

"I am a vampire-werewolf hybrid with ten centuries of blood on my hands," Klaus continued. "Channel me."

"No, Nik," Kol said, shaking his head.

"You wanted my trust, brother, here it is." Klaus picked up the Tunde blade and handed it to him. "Do not fail me."

Klaus kneeled in front of him. Morgana grabbed Rebekah's hand and squeezed it. Rebekah squeezed back reassuringly as Kol carved the symbol into Klaus' head. They gently laid him on the ground and got back into position.

"Los triforce comète. Los triforce comète."

There was so much power flowing through Morgana. It was a perfect rush. She hadn't felt this powerful since they fought Genevieve only months before. Hell, she didn't think she felt quite this powerful then. It was amazing.

At first.

Just as quickly as it felt amazing, it began to hurt. If Morgana thought the pain from that spell Kol had used on her earlier was bad, it was nothing compared to this. It felt like she was going to explode, her veins were burning, her insides were burning, her whole being was burning. Morgana hoped it was hurting Finn as much as it was hurting her. Actually, she hoped it hurt more. A lot more.

They were thrown back suddenly, just like before. Morgana landed on her back. She tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea hit her, so she laid back down and squeezed her eyes shut. She felt around for Grendel, and soon her fingertips found his fur. She felt his paws knead at her shoulder and smiled.

"Morgana?" Rebekah called her. "Are you alright?"

Morgana opened her eyes and sat up. Luckily no nausea, but she would need to sleep soon. Exhaustion was creeping up on her.

"I'm good," she said.

They undid the channeling spell on Klaus and helped him sit up.

"Tell me it worked," he said.

"We did our bit," Kol replied. "I promise, Finn is back to being a normal, regular-strength maniacal bastard."

"I know in the last millennium we haven't always seen eye to eye. But in this moment I'm reminded once again of something Elijah has always said: Family is power. Thank you."

Kol smiled. "You're welcome."

"Speaking of Elijah," Rebekah said.

"He will prevail," Klaus assured her. "Of that I have no doubt."

Morgana could only pray he was right.


	7. I Love You, Goodbye

"I love weddings," Morgana sighed. "I hope nothing ruins today."

Rebekah hummed in agreement before entering Hayley's room. She leaned against the doorway, hiding her gift behind her. Hayley was looking through the wardrobe. Morgana strode past her and sat on the bed, leaning back on her hands.

"Alright, bad news first: I will have to miss your nuptials," Rebekah said. "Kol has a bit of a life-and-death matter he needs help dealing with."

"Anything I can do, Rebekah?" Hayley asked.

"It's witch business, which now seems to be my thing. Besides, you have enough to deal with. On that note..." She pulled out a white lacey wedding dress from behind her and handed it to Hayley. "It's white, which won't fool anyone, but you can't get married in skinny jeans and combat boots."

"Oh, Rebekah, thank you," Hayley breathed.

Grendel bounded into the room and stopped as soon as he saw the dress. He was eyeing the lace.

"Don't even think about it,” Morgana said.

She could tell he was thinking about it as he slowly padded up to the bed and jumped on it. He never took his eyes off the dress.

Hayley walked over to the mirror and held the dress up to her. "It's beautiful."

"Well, I happen to be the only woman alive who's commissioned wedding dresses in five different centuries," Rebekah said. "Never made it down the aisle, of course."

"Well, it's not too late," Hayley replied. "From what I understand, Marcel is still single."

Morgana started humming "Can You Feel The Love Tonight". Rebekah playfully swatted her shoulder. Morgana giggled.

"Have you mentioned that you're...you know, you?" She asked.

"I thought I'd hold off on that for the moment," Rebekah said. "Only complicates matters. And I'm not exactly sure how long this"--she gestured to herself--"is going to last."

Morgana nodded. Hayley chuckled. "Right."

"Hayley, I wanted to say..." Rebekah trailed off. "Now, you might be marrying Jackson Kenner of the boozy backwater Kenners, but you're still one of us. A Mikaelson. Always will be."

Hayley smiled. "Gosh, that would be such a nice compliment if it didn't link me to so many homicidal maniacs."

Morgana laughed. Rebekah smiled and left the room. Morgana followed.

"Hey, Bekah, do you want me to come with you?" She asked.

"No, no," Rebekah replied. "You stay here. Enjoy the wedding and the party that will come after. Have some fun and relax, Morgana. Goodness knows you've earned it."

Morgana smiled. "Well, you know where to find me if you change your mind."  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"I wish I'd thought to get you a little bowtie," Morgana said. Grendel gave her a look. She laughed. "It would look cute on you. Besides, it's a wedding. Then again, I suppose it would get lost in your fur."

They were sitting on a couch in one of the upstairs rooms. Cami and Elijah were back with Hope. The safe house was no good. Explosions were apparently a good excuse to come back. Finn had been inside, though there was no doubt this wasn't the last of him, what with the whole body-jumping issue.

Morgana had changed into her dress for the wedding. It was almost time.

There was a knock on the door behind her.

"It's time, love, are you ready?" Klaus asked.

She stood and turned to face him. His jaw dropped a little. "You look...stunning."

A blush began to creep up her neck. "Thanks."

Grendel jumped on her shoulder. Morgana swallowed and started walking. "Shall we?"

Klaus offered her his arm. She took it, and they went to the railing overlooking the room the ceremony was taking place.

Hayley had just entered, causing the guests to stand. Jackson came up behind her. Joining hands, they walked down the aisle and split to walk up two separate stairs. On the balcony was Mary, who was presiding over the ceremony. An orchestra played just under the balcony.

"Please, be seated," Mary said when the couple reached the balcony. "We gather together as a community seeking peace, inspired by this couple standing before you."

Hayley looked over at Klaus and Morgana and smiled. Morgana smiled back. Hayley looked back at Jackson just as Elijah appeared.

"There was a time when werewolves saw themselves not as cursed," Mary continued, "but blessed with connection to our most pure selves. And tonight, we honor that blessing with the long-awaited unification of the two Crescent bloodlines."

She wrapped baby's breath around their wrists. "In doing so, we choose to embrace Hayley's vampire nature. With this union, Hayley will share her unique gifts with her pack." She handed them a long, lit match. "And now, your vows."

"I pledge to honor you and defend you and yours above all others," Jackson said.

"To share in blessings and burdens," Hayley said. "To be your advocate, your champion."

"To be your comfort, your sanctuary, and for as long as we both shall live."

"To be your family."

"To be your family."

They lit the candle. Mary smiled. "You two have endured all the traditional werewolf rituals and trials. There is only one remaining. Jackson, you may kiss your bride."

Jackson hesitated for a long moment before kissing Hayley. When they pulled away, their eyes were glowing. Morgana followed their gazes to the guests below. Those of who were werewolves had glowing eyes as well.

Klaus and Elijah left the room. Morgana and Grendel went to join the crowd for the reception.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana had forgotten how much fun it was to be part of a parade. Everyone was back in the courtyard of the compound. Some were dancing, others, like her, were sipping champagne and leaning on a table.

Grendel nudged her arm. She followed his gaze to the stairs. Klaus was coming down them, holding Hope. Oh boy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?" He asked. "Hayley, if you would join me, I would like to propose a toast."

Hayley approached him and took Hope.

“I want to welcome you all,” Klaus continued. “As you know, last spring Hayley and I had a daughter. Due to tragic circumstances, she was lost. Now she has returned home. Her name is Hope. She will live here among you, her pack. Her family. We implore you—protect our daughter. Teach her. Love her as one of your own.”

He took a glass of champagne. “Jackson, I invite you and your bride to live here, uniting your proud and noble people in peace. Welcome to the family, mate.”

Jackson nodded. Klaus held up his glass, smiling. “To Jackson and Hayley!”

As she sipped her champagne, Morgana decided that the tension was not her imagination. She knew that smile. It usually spelled trouble.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When Rebekah sped into the courtyard, Morgana knew by the look on her face that something was wrong. Kol. He must have gotten worse.

Just moments later, Rebekah was leaving with Klaus and Elijah. Klaus looked at Morgana and gestured to her. She set her glass down and followed them out, taking his hand.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana was kneeling next to Davina, who was whispering a spell on a bracelet she was squeezing.

They were in one of the tombs. There were lit candles everywhere. Morgana had called on the elements to help Kol and could only hope they did.

He was surrounded by his siblings. His nose and mouth were bleeding, and he kept coughing.

"All my life," he said, "all I ever wanted was for you lot to care about me."

Another violent coughing fit wracked him. When it was over, they leaned him back into Rebekah's lap.

"Kol, listen to me," she said. "You don't have long. You're going to die. But you will die a witch, and we will consecrate your body. You will join the ancestors of the French Quarter, and those spirits can be brought back. And I promise you, brother, I will not leave this body until I find a way to bring you home."

Kol smiled at her. Davina crawled over to him, spell finished. Morgana stood and went next to Klaus, taking his hand again.

"I tried a different spell," Davina said.

"It's okay," Kol assured her. "I'm not scared."

Davina tried to smile. Kol laughed a little. Morgana bit her lip as he died. Klaus squeezed her hand as Davina broke down. Morgana squeezed back.


	8. They All Asked For You

There was nothing quite like sitting in a conversation—albeit a phone conversation—between the Mikaelsons. Morgana thought it could be quite entertaining, depending on the subject matter.

"Enough with the family squabbling!" Rebekah said. "Come on, Nik, even you can see that the situation has become awkward."

"There's nothing awkward about it!" Klaus argued.

"There kinda is," Morgana said.

He rolled his eyes. "Hayley and Hope belong in the compound where they are safe. As much as I would like Elijah's help to kill Finn, if his delicate sensibilities are offended by the presence of Hayley's new husband, then he's welcome to continue sulking across the river."

"As I have explained to you repeatedly, brother," Elijah replied, "my presence here in Algiers is purely to assemble allies. And given all the enemies we have afoot in the form of wayward siblings and ancient, maniacal aunt Dahlias, I would think that you would applaud my efforts."

"Well, if it's my applause you seek, you shouldn't have dashed off in a bloody huff!"

"Alright," Rebekah interrupted. "Can you two at least try and stay focused on what's best for Hope's safety?"

"I would like nothing more," Elijah replied.

"I am doing exactly that!" Klaus said.

"See?" Rebekah said. "You're on the same team. Conflict resolved, crisis averted."

The dial tone coming from Klaus' phone made it clear she'd ended the group call. He looked at Morgana. "Something you'd like to say?"

"It is a little awkward," she said.

He rolled his eyes again and stomped past her. "Then feel free to find somewhere else to live, Morgana."

"Don't take your frustrations out on me, Klaus," she raised her voice. "You asked!"  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
If Morgana ever wanted to try and see if she could harvest tension, all she had to do was put Klaus and Jackson in the same room and let them talk. There was no doubt in her mind that a screaming match would end up taking place.

"It's time to use our werewolf army," Klaus said. "Finn and the woman who calls herself my sister are in this city. The wolves can help us pinpoint their location."

"No," Jackson replied. "We need all hands on deck here with Hope. You can compel humans to track your enemies."

"Do my ears deceive me, or did you just give me an order in my own home?"

"This ain't about your ego, Klaus! It's about what's best for that little girl."

"How dare you question my intentions for my daughter!"

"Jack, Klaus is right," Hayley sighed. "Finn's body disappeared from the morgue, which means that he's either powerful enough to heal from that explosion or Freya's powerful enough to heal him. Either way, we're not finding them unless we send our best people out there."

Jackson sighed.

"I'm sure you and all your merry men will find them posthaste," Klaus said.

Morgana rolled her eyes and facepalmed. He just couldn't help himself, could he?  
Jackson stood. "Just to be clear, I'm giving this order because Hayley is asking. Don't think for one second I take orders from you."

Morgana wondered how much longer the wolves would be staying.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"So what's the plan?" Morgana asked.

"His death," Klaus replied.

They had just arrived at the cemetery to find and "take care of" Finn. Morgana would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to this.

"Can I at least make him suffer beforehand?"

"Alright, but not too long. I want this over and done with."

"Me too."

Klaus pulled his phone out when it buzzed and put it away just as quick.

"Let's hope that wasn't important," Morgana mumbled.

"The chances of that call being more important than this are slim to none, love," he replied, stalking forward. "Finn! I know you're here! The wolves tell me you've been quite active robbing graves and violating corpses! Sounds like you."

They peeked around a tomb. "Why don't you come out so we can finish this?"

"Hello, Niklaus."

They turned around to see Finn standing at the end of the aisle.

"And hello, little witch," he said.

Morgana raised an eyebrow as they began walking to meet each other. "You claim to have manners. You should use them to call me by my name, little witch."

"Don't waste your breath on him, love," Klaus said. "Those are to be his last words."

"Your hubris truly knows no bounds!" Finn said. "You attack a witch in the very place the ancestors call home."

"You're a fool if you think the ancestors give a damn about you."

"They may not care for me, brother, but they hate you."

Finn shot a stream of fire at them. Morgana blocked it with a wall of her own, giving her and Klaus enough time to move.

"You lost a step, brother," Klaus said from the top of one of the tombs.

"Maybe being blown to bits does that to someone," Morgana added from behind another. "Who knows?"

Klaus lunged toward Finn, who threw a piece of fencing into his chest and pinned him to the wall of a tomb. Morgana threw a fireball, singeing the side of Finn's head.

"Finished so soon, my indestructible brother?" He taunted. "Father was right about you. You're nothing but a pathetic disappointment."

"You judge me?" Klaus retorted. "You, who cursed Kol to death?"

"And then you decided to go after an innocent baby," Morgana added.

Klaus ripped the fencing out and broke off a pike. He threw it at Finn. "My child!"

It landed in his abdomen. Morgana switched back and forth between making it burn so hot it turned a bright orangey-red, and then so cold ice began to form on and around it. She left a spot normal for Klaus, who went up to Finn and twisted the pike.

"For what you would have done to Hope, I'm going to enjoy making you suffer," he growled.

He pulled the pike out. Finn dropped to ground, groaning and panting. Klaus held the pike up to stab him again, but suddenly Elijah appeared and shoved him away.

"You didn't answer my call," he said.

"Well, I was a little bit busy," Klaus snapped.

Since most of her focus was on teaching Finn the meaning of agony, Morgana was only paying half attention to them. However, Elijah's next words brought him her full attention.

"I need him alive."

"I've no time for your soft-hearted sympathies," Klaus replied. "Stand aside."

Elijah didn't move.

"Let him die, Elijah!"

"The witches want that body returned unharmed."

"And what else do they want? A parade? Free broomsticks for all?"

Morgana would have laughed if she wasn't annoyed. She wouldn't mind a broomstick to smack people with.

"This alliance could be greatly beneficial to us all," Elijah insisted.

"Yes?" Klaus replied. "Well, currying some witch's favor does not concern me."

"It should."

They all froze. A blonde woman approached them and smiled. "Witch allies can prove valuable."

She walked past Elijah and Klaus to Finn. She cast Morgana a look, and the world went black.

When she opened her eyes, she was the propped up against the wall of a tomb. Klaus was kneeling in front of her, asking if she was alright.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. She stood, waving him away when he tried to help her up. She pointed at the woman. "I don't care who you are, just never do that again."

"My apologies," the woman replied. "I had no idea you were so important to my brother."

Morgana raised her eyebrows, but chose not to say anything. She was annoyed, so much that she doubted that the next words out of her mouth would be kind, and she didn't want to make an enemy out of someone who could knock her out with just one look.

She noticed Finn was unconscious now. "Is he dead?"

The woman held up a blue pendant around her neck. "Finn is now safe from harm, and his hatred of you can no longer do damage to our cause."

"Our cause?" Elijah repeated.

"Yes. Ours. And now if you two can stop arguing long enough, perhaps you'll allow your older sister to offer you a deal."

So Morgana’s suspicions were right.

"What could you possibly have to offer us besides fairy tales and lies?" Klaus demanded.

"Whatever you may think of me, brother," Freya replied, "know this: when I speak to you, it is the truth. If you have any doubts, remember that it was I who rescued Rebekah from Fauline Cottage."

"And was it also not you who led Finn on his vile mission to take Hope's life?" Elijah asked.

"The threat to Hope came from Finn, not me." She looked down. "The brother I knew would never have stooped to threaten a child." She looked back up. "Our mother destroyed him like she did me, you, everything she touched."

"Do not speak as if we are familiars," Klaus spat. "We know nothing of you."

Freya held her hands up. If she had to guess, Morgana would say Freya was showing them a memory.

"Do you think me a liar?" She asked when finished.

"That proves nothing but your ability to conjure illusions," Klaus replied.

"Before you dismiss me, you should know this: if I've woken from my slumber, Dahlia has as well. Once she's sensed your child's magic, she will come for her, and she has the power to kill anyone who stands in her way unless we kill her first."

"That's quite convenient, isn't it? You show up in the nick of time to help us kill the woman with whom you've spent a thousand years."

"You have no idea what it took to escape her or what I lost in trying. Her punishment will be profound."

"And you know how to stop her?" Elijah asked.

"Given the proper materials, yes," Freya replied. "I've sent Father to procure them."

Morgana's jaw dropped.

"You put the life of my child in the hands of Mikael?!" Klaus shouted. He began storming off.

"Niklaus," Elijah called.

Klaus turned around.

"This woman has knowledge of the threat we face and is willing to share that information."

"Well, you'll excuse me, Elijah, if I'm not inclined to trust the mysterious sister we only just met, but by all means, if you wish to entertain this idiocy, have at it."

Klaus vamp sped away.

"Thank you," Freya said. "Your kindness is much appreciated."

"I may be willing to accept your identity, Freya," Elijah replied. "Doesn't mean I trust you."

"Then I will look forward to earning that trust."

She turned and walked away.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Back at the compound, Morgana had just finished updating Grendel.

"You know, I really hope this is someone we can actually trust," she said.

Grendel chirped. She frowned. "Mikael better pray we don't run into each other. He won't like the outcome."

She rolled over on the bed. "I, on the other hand, will be incredibly fond of it."


	9. Save My Soul

_**"Are you sure it won't be a bit odd to have me there?" Morgana asked.** _

_**"Of course it won't," Klaus replied.** _

_**"I don't want to intrude on what could end up being a private family matter."** _

_**"You've been directly involved in some of the most private family matters."** _

_**A smile pulled on the corners of her lips. "Alright, you've convinced me. I'll join."** _

Morgana was questioning her decision. The little brunch Klaus had set up hadn't even started and she could tell tensions were beginning to run high.

She caught Grendel swatting at the flame on one of the candles on the dining table. She batted him away. "You're going to singe your fur, and I'm not gonna fix it for you."

"There you are, finally," Klaus said.

Morgana glanced back to see Elijah come in and hang up his coat.

"I was delayed," he replied.

"Our guest of honor will be here momentarily."

"Strange. Our house is conspicuously absent of our lupine guests. I do hope it wasn't on my account."

"I sent Hayley and her poorly groomed husband off to spend the day with their werewolf brethren to test the limits of their new abilities, leaving me to deal with family business as I see fit."

"Niklaus, Rebekah's situation has taken a turn. We may need Freya's assistance. So whatever you're planning here, don't."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "All I'm planning is a simple chat with a long-lost relative. You yourself said go to hear her out."

"And you yourself said that would be idiocy," Elijah replied drily.

"Did I? Well, it does sound like me. Regardless, on the off chance that Freya has some information that could protect my daughter, I'd prefer she share it on my terms." He pointed to his ear. "I think I hear her now."

He turned and greeted Freya as she entered. "Sister! Well, come in, come in. Make yourself comfortable."

Freya smiled. Her gaze landed on Morgana, who smiled politely.

"I don't think I've introduced myself properly," Morgana said. "I'm Morgana."

"Pleasure to meet you," Freya replied.

They all sat at the table. Klaus, of course, was at the head. Elijah sat on his right, followed by Morgana. Freya sat across from them on Klaus' left. Grendel lounged somewhere behind Morgana, content to watch and listen.

Freya picked up a carved wooden hoop. "This witch-hoop--it's Danish. Is this from when you lived in Copenhagen in the 1500s?"

"Quite the eye," Klaus replied.

"Forgive me," Elijah cut in. "Are we here to discuss family heirlooms or do we have more pressing matters?"

"Please excuse my brother's lack of decorum," Klaus apologized. "He's been in a foul mood as of late. But he is right. I did ask you here in the hopes that you would share some of Dahlia's secrets. So, without further ado, let's get to it."

Freya cleared her throat. "The first thing you should know is that Dahlia is the most powerful witch I've ever seen. She craves more power still. Right now she is like me, limited to one year of life in a century. But she wants to be free of that restriction. To gain true immortality. And that is why she will come here, drawn by your daughter to take the child's power for herself. And she would kill anyone who would defy her."

"And yet you would defy her?" Elijah asked.

"I don't have a choice. She will never let me be free. My one chance is to align with you and kill her."

Morgana wasn't entirely convinced. She wished she was; she wanted to trust Freya. But something about it seemed too...convenient. Maybe that wasn't the right word, but something felt strange--off, rather--to her.

"What makes Dahlia so awful?" She asked.

"For you to understand, I need to start from the beginning," Freya replied.

She took a deep breath. "After taking me from my family, Dahlia used me to form a new branch of connective magic, one that augmented my power even as it allowed her to draw from me. Once we were bonded, Dahlia became unstoppable. She wasted no time proving her might.

"The chief of a nearby village threatened to run us off, accusing Dahlia of witchcraft. She decided to make an example of the entire encampment...men, women, children. She killed them all with a wave of her hand. That was my first inkling of the power Dahlia had. Over the course of a thousand years, she's only grown stronger."

She looked at Klaus. "And she will bring all her power to bear against you when she comes for your child."

A phone started ringing. Elijah pulled his out. "Excuse me." He stepped out of room.

Morgana took a sip of her mimosa. Grendel was there before she set it back down.

"Absolutely not," she hissed.

"Don't tell me he wants your drink," Klaus said.

"I let him try it one time years ago," she replied. "He hated it. Every time I have one now, even after last time, he wants it."

Grendel grumbled.

"If you want to put yourself through that again, be my guest, but don't say I didn't warn you," Morgana grumbled back.

When Elijah came back in, Grendel laid down on the chair next to her. He did have manners, after all, and it was rude to lay on the brunch table.

"Your stories are fascinating, and Dahlia does indeed sound dreadful," Klaus said. "But Elijah and I have killed our fair share of evil witches."

"Not like her," Freya replied.

"What are her weaknesses?" Elijah asked, sipping his tea.

"She's paranoid, obsessed with power. She hungers constantly for what's been denied her, be it love or revenge."

"Now where have I heard that before," Morgana muttered.

"Yes, I think I'm familiar with the type as well," Elijah agreed.

Klaus smirked.

"When I was a child, she would tell me tales of her own youth, of being victimized by those stronger than her," Freya continued. "Dahlia vowed never to be weak again. She bargained for the firstborn of Esther's bloodline, intending to raise us in her own image, forming a coven of her own from which she could draw endless power. That plan was foiled the day she learned that Esther had ended her bloodline by turning her children into vampires. And so the burden fell to me. Dahlia demanded I bear the firstborn that would add to her power, but I would not allow a child of mine to live as I did, as a slave."

She began to cry. "So I vowed never to love, never to have a child of my own. Of course, the more I resisted, the harder Dahlia fought to control me. Until the day she took the last of what little freedom I had left. And so we slept, our magic accruing over time until we woke, filled with immense power and allowed to live a single year of life. That has been the existence I have suffered for the last ten centuries."

"Well, it's quite the ordeal, isn't it?" Klaus chuckled. "But it does beg the question: why not end it yourself? A high enough bridge, a tight enough noose. You must have considered it."

Ah, there was the infamous Klaus Mikaelson tact. Morgana surreptitiously made his drink miss his mouth, taking a sip of her mimosa again to hide it (and her grin).

"Long ago I did consider it," Freya sighed. "But Dahlia would never give me even that freedom. I would later learn the spell made me like her--immortal and impervious to harm."

She let out a bitter laugh and wiped her eyes. "So you see, I am like you: a creature of great power cursed for all time."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you meet my brothers?" Freya asked.

Klaus and Elijah had gone upstairs to take care of something, leaving Morgana, Freya and Grendel alone.

"I had just moved to New Orleans a few years back," Morgana replied. "I bumped into Klaus, he needed a witch, and it just went from there."

Freya smiled. "I might have been asleep for the past century, and I might not know you or Niklaus that well, but I can tell when there are feelings involved."

Before Morgana could respond, she caught a flash of white in her peripheral. "Hey!" She snatched her glass from Grendel, who was trying to get at the mimosa. "That's not yours."

"He doesn't seem to care," Freya said.

"He only cares about it when he gets a stomachache," Morgana replied. "He howled so loud once, I thought he was going to die. He was fine," she added, noting the look on Freya's face. "Grendel likes drama, and there wasn't enough going on to his liking at the time, so he decided to exaggerate his stomachache."

"Sounds amusing."

"Oh, now it is. At the time, not so much."

"Pardon the interruption, but if you would both come upstairs, there's an urgent matter requiring some assistance," Elijah called from the doorway.

Grendel hopped on Morgana's shoulder as she and Freya stood. Elijah explained that the host of the body Rebekah was trapped in was trying to regain control. As a result, Rebekah was blacking out and waking up hours later with no idea what she had done or where she'd gone. He led them upstairs to the study, where she and Klaus were waiting.

Freya smiled. "Rebekah."

Rebekah stood, and they squeezed each other's hands.

"It's good to see you again," Freya continued.

"And you, though I'd prefer better circumstances," Rebekah replied.

They sat on the couch.

"You needn't worry," Freya assured her. "Elijah explained the problem, and I can help."

"Rather confident, aren't we?" Klaus muttered from the corner. He seemed to be sulking.

"I would hope so given how powerful she claims to be," Morgana replied drily.

"The spirit of the host body is powerful," Freya continued, "but I can cast a spell. Put you in a deep sleep and then suppress this other essence. You'll be just fine."

"Lovely," Rebekah replied. "When do we start?"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Klaus groaned. "She spouts off some magical diagnosis, and we're all supposed to applaud?"

"Nik, she's trying to help," Rebekah replied.

"Yes, but for the sake of keeping our options open, why not write down your spells and incantations? That way we can have them checked by an impartial third party, say Davina. She'd love to prove me wrong."

"I doubt she would understand my magic," Freya said. "Let alone have the power to execute it."

"Oh, so you're our only hope then?" Klaus scoffed. "Seems rather convenient, doesn't it?"

Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"I knew it would be difficult to win your trust, Niklaus," Freya said. "Your reputation proceeds you."

She stood. "But if we are to face Dahlia together, you will have to trust me. Given the peril that Rebekah now faces, are you truly incapable of giving me the chance to prove myself?"

"She's got a point, Klaus," Morgana said.

Klaus just rolled his eyes and turned away. Freya turned to the others.

"I know I appear as an outsider, but I have dreamt of you all for a thousand years," she said. "Elijah, when you were in Esther's womb, she would ask me to sing to you. I would feel her belly as I did. How you kicked," she added with a chuckle. "She would say it was as if Thor himself had raised his hammer--"

"And summoned thunder and lightning," Elijah finished. He smiled. "Mother rarely mentioned you. When she did she would say how enchanted you were by the prospect of my birth."

"How I wanted more brothers, and a sister more than anything. But between Esther and Dahlia that wish was taken from me. I was ruined by those who raised me. If nothing else, at least we have that in common. There is nothing that can replace what has been taken from us, but I hope we can make something better in its place. All you have to do is trust me."

And as if on cue, Klaus vamp sped over to Freya and snapped her neck. "Well, that's enough of that, don't you think? Now we can have a proper family meeting."

"And here comes our savior Niklaus to save the day," Morgana snapped.

Klaus let go of Freya, but Morgana caught her before she hit the ground. Rebekah and Elijah helped her lay Freya down on the couch. Then Morgana went over to the bar and poured herself a drink. Screw the mimosas; she needed bourbon.

"Was that absolutely necessary?" Rebekah demanded.

"Oh, please," Klaus replied. "She was insufferable."

"That was ridiculous, even for you," Elijah said.

"You've only just met her! Let's not get sentimental. Besides," Klaus added, "if she was telling the truth about being immortal she'll awaken shortly. If she was lying, good riddance."

"Yes, of course, if she wakes she'll be willing to help us with unbridled enthusiasm."

"She played you both for fools, can you not see that? She spins a sad yarn about a small child taken by an evil witch, and you both fall over yourselves to mend what's broken!"

"How can you be so certain?" Rebekah asked, annoyed.

"Simple," Klaus replied. "It's exactly what I would do. My only question now is what's in it for her."

"Well, whatever the truth may be, she's in no position to help us now," Elijah said.

"Well then we should try Marcel," Rebekah said. "Perhaps he's had better luck on his end. Surely he's put in a better effort."

She stormed out, shooting Klaus another glare. Elijah went to follow her.

"You know I'm right, Elijah," Klaus called. "We can't have an alliance with someone we can't trust."

"You don't trust her, and that is your choice," Elijah replied. "I only hope that choice comes from a place of reason, not fear."

He left. Klaus turned to Morgana. "Well? Do you think I'm a fool as well?"

She sighed and set her drink down. "I don't trust her. Not yet, at least. I want to, because honestly it would be nice to have an ally, especially if Dahlia is as terrible as we've been told. That being said," she added, "breaking her neck was a bit much."

"Can't you do the spell for Rebekah?" He asked.

"I could, yeah."

"Then why haven't you said anything?"

Morgana held up one finger. "One, I was hoping to give Freya a chance to prove herself. Two," she held up a second, "I shouldn't have to. You lot should know by now that all you have to do is think of me and ask."

She walked to the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe there's still untouched food downstairs, and I haven't had a thing to eat all day."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"I don't like this," Morgana whispered.

Grendel blinked at her.

"Rebekah is stuck in this body for who knows how long, Elijah is across the river, Freya is suddenly back in the picture, and then there's Dahlia. For once I hope the next person come to kill or seriously injure us is severely overestimated, but I suppose that would be too much to ask, now, wouldn't it?"

She sighed and massaged her temples. "Don't even get me started on Klaus. He's more on edge than usual, which makes him pissier than usual. That makes everyone around him pissy in return, which just leads to unnecessary tension and fighting. It's an endless cycle as of late. Hell, it's always an endless cycle, this round's just more vicious.

"It's tempting to just say 'nope' and go. Just forget everything and leave it all behind. I don't need this. This isn't what I signed up for."

Grendel made a noise that sounded like his attempt at a snort. Morgana smirked.

"Yeah, never gonna happen, I know. Sometimes I think I'm too sentimental."

She sighed again and flopped back on the pillows on the bed. "But it hasn't let me down hard enough yet to stop now."


	10. Exquisite Corpse

Morgana rushed into Hope's room to find Klaus and Hayley fighting Rebekah. On second thought, there was no way in hell that was Rebekah.

She thrust her hands and called on all the elements. Rebekah--Eva, in this instance--screamed in pain and returned the favor with a spell of her own. Morgana yelped.

Klaus scratched Eva's leg, making her scream again. Before anyone could stop her, she jumped out of the window and disappeared.

Hope was still in her crib, perfectly fine and calm. Hayley, Klaus and Morgana shared a look.

"I think it's time we stop waiting to do the spell," Morgana said.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Later that day, they gathered in the study. Klaus opened a box and pulled out some shackles.

"I should really stop packing these away," he said. "There's always one family member or another needing a good shackling."

He handed them to Marcel. "Find Rebekah--or Eva, whoever the bloody hell that was. Use these to stop her from doing magic. And don't hurt her. The non-psychopathic bits are still my sister."

"Alright," Marcel replied. "I won't be the only one looking for her. She killed witch kids. The twenty-four hour hold that Elijah got the covens to agree to? Ended at midnight. Every witch in the city is gonna be gunning for her."

Klaus turned to Hayley. "Go to Elijah. Get him to charm his elderly witch to call off the hunt."

"And leave Hope?" Hayley scoffed. "Don't you think I should stay here and protect our daughter?"

"Jackson has been working day and night to secure this compound, surrounding it with his werewolf army. Not to mention the fact that I'm here, and I know the best way to protect our child is to get Rebekah out of that serial killer's body and back into the original one."

"Pun intended?" Morgana asked. Grendel chirped.

"And what will you be doing while we're out doing all the dirty work?" Hayley asked.

"Tending to the dirtier work, as usual," Klaus replied.

Hayley rolled her eyes. Once she and Marcel left, Morgana turned to Klaus.

"So what's my task then?" She asked.

"Your task is to come with me," he said, heading for the door.

She followed. "Ah, time to get our hands dirty."

"Exactly." He paused in the doorway and turned to face her, smirking. "And yes, pun intended."

She smiled. They went downstairs. She made herself comfortable on the armrest of a sofa. Grendel sprawled out behind her. Klaus seemed content to stand and stare at the portrait of Rebekah on the wall.

"Our sister was quite the beauty."

Ah. So that's what he meant by "dirtier work."

Freya walked down the stairs to the middle landing.

"You said you could put Rebekah back in her original body," Klaus said, turning to her. "Do it."

"So you've come to your senses?"

"My senses have not faltered. They still demand that you are not to be trusted. However, circumstance dictates otherwise. For now."

"What's changed?"

"Eva Sinclair has resumed control of her body, leaving Rebekah trapped and powerless. So make with your spells and enchantments and put my sister back in her body."

Freya sighed. "I'm afraid it's not that simple."

"More stalling," Klaus mused, a mocking smile growing on his face. "Very well. I know I can't kill you, but I shall have a fine time trying. Tell me, have you ever been skinned alive?"

"The problem is Rebekah's condition has worsened," she said. His smile disappeared.

"When I offered to help, she was in control of Eva's body," she continued. "She's lost inside Eva. I don't have a spell that could breach Eva's mind and find her."

He glanced at Morgana. She shook her head.

"Fortunately for you," he said, "I know someone well-versed in such spells."

Klaus walked over to the box he brought down. Before Morgana could remind him it was probably not a good idea to antagonize someone willing to help them, he vamp sped to Freya and slapped another pair of magic-blocking shackles on her.

"Let's go meet her, shall we?"  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana was wondering who Klaus kidnapped this time. They were heading through the Lyonne tomb. She couldn't think of any other reason they'd be down here than to meet the latest abductee.

"I fail to see the need for these," Freya hissed, holding up her shackled wrists. "I'm not your enemy."

"Oh, they're not to protect us, love," Klaus replied.

They stopped in the main part of the tomb. He gestured to the corner. "They're to protect her, the one who knows more about mind invasion and body-jumping than all of us put together."

"So this is what you did with her," Morgana muttered loud enough only for him to hear. He glanced over at her and winked before throwing two blood bags into the corner.

Freya stepped closer to see who it was. Esther's hand shot out and grabbed the bags. When she was finished, she crept forward so her face was illuminated by the sunbeam keeping her back.

Freya stepped back, horrified, and turned to leave. Klaus grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around.

"Mother, Freya," he said. "Freya, Mother."

"It can't be," Esther muttered.

"You won't trust me but you'll trust her?" Freya spat.

"I trust my mother about as much as I would a stuck snake," Klaus replied. "Fortunately, she is now a vampire, and as such she's vulnerable to my compulsion."

He approached Esther and grabbed her face. "You will answer me truthfully."

He lifted her up and forced her through the sunbeam and in front of Freya. Morgana hung back. She wanted to be as far away from Esther as possible, no matter what she was. Grendel hissed.

"There," Klaus said. "Now at least everything that comes out of her wretched mouth will be honest. Let's raid Mommy Dearest's mind for spells, shall we?"

Esther held out her arms and took a step towards Freya. "My beautiful girl. My firstborn."

"Touch me and I will use these chains to strangle you," Freya snapped.

"Yes, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, let's begin, shall we?" Klaus interrupted. "It appears that your delightful sister Dahlia is on her way to New Orleans, hell-bent on stealing my child. I need Rebekah back in her original body so she can help me destroy her."

"Your child?" Esther repeated.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, I suppose it is difficult keeping up on current events whilst rotting inside a tomb. Very well. The short version: my child is alive, Dahlia is on her way. Now, the previous tenant of Rebekah's body has seized control and isn't keen on giving it up. Young Freya here, although powerful, lacks the spell to put Rebekah back in her true body. And that's where you come in."

He pulled some papers out from his jacket. "I need you to be a dear and dig deep into that ex-witch mind of yours. Give me the spell that puts Rebekah back."

Morgana watched Esther write everything down. It was taking a good while, but that was always the problem with spells--especially the complicated ones. Saving Rebekah from Eva and putting her back in her own body certainly fell under that category.

"What is taking so long?" Klaus complained. "You didn't tarry when you attempted to kill my child."

"I took no joy in that," Esther replied. "I knew that if your daughter lived Dahlia would come, not only for her but for all of you. And however you may despise me, I would not wish that upon you."

Morgana snorted.

"How touching," Klaus said.

"Isn't it?" Freya replied. "I always wondered what maternal compassion would sound like. Of course, I wouldn't know since you sold me into slavery at the age of five."

"When I made that bargain with my sister, I had no idea what it meant to be a mother," Esther argued. "I thought if I had a dozen children, I wouldn't miss the one. And then you were born. You were beautiful. You had a light about you that put a smile on the face of the hardest man I had ever known. And when Dahlia took you, I thought that same light might warm her embittered heart, that you might lead a good life."

"A good life? You were my mother, you should have come for me!"

"Yes, I should have. But it would have been a mistake."

Esther turned to Klaus. "The same mistake you will be making if you let this girl help you."

"For God's sake, speak plainly," Klaus said.

"The light I saw in Freya as a child, it's gone. While she was mine for five years, Dahlia was her mentor for a thousand. And, like her mentor, she will offer to solve your problem, but for a price."

"There is no price!" Freya spat. She lunged for her, but Klaus pushed her back.

"No violence until she's finished writing the spell, please," he sighed. "Honestly, it's all temper and no timing with this one."

"Pot meet kettle," Morgana interjected.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to Esther. "I, for one, am glad you gave her away so I could be born. You should think of me as an upgrade."

Oh, dear, that was not gonna make Freya any more likely to help them.

"Alright, before any necks get broken, can we at least finish with the spell?" Morgana groaned. "That was, after all, the entire reason we came down here. Or did you all just forget that in the excitement of a good old fashioned Mikaelson family reunion?"

She pushed off the wall she was leaning on and walked over to the table where Esther had written down the spell. Freya joined her.

"I can't do this," Freya said after a moment. "This spell requires an enormous amount of power."

"Which you have," Esther argued.

"And that power needs to be anchored, or I'll be lost inside Eva's mind along with Rebekah. Unlike your magic, mine isn't anchored to any one place. Because of you I have no home."

"Perhaps. But there is no other spell."

Klaus looked at Morgana.

"My magic is anchored," she said. "But I don't have enough power on my own. I suppose..." She trailed off, flickering her gaze between him and Freya. "I suppose I could be your anchor."

"What exactly does that entail?" Klaus asked.

"Freya will have access to Morgana's mind, past and present," Esther explained. "She'll know everything about her."

"Absolutely not."

"Do you volunteer as tribute then, Klaus?" Morgana sighed. "I doubt you're keen on letting someone into your mind."

"Anything you could be planning to defend us against Dahlia would be laid bare for her to use against us." He turned to Freya. "You must think we're fools."

"Unless it's not a trick."

Oh goody. Now they could listen to Klaus and Elijah argue over this.

"I'll be the anchor," Elijah continued.

"Brother, I think not," Klaus argued.

"Brother, whatever this is, nothing must prevent us from saving our sister. I will not lose Rebekah."

"Oh yes, by all means, let's give Dahlia's whelp access to all the information she needs to destroy us!"

Morgana noticed Freya gripping her shackles.

"Boys, you should shut your mouths," she warned.

Either they didn't hear her or they were ignoring her.

"And since when do we heed the words of this serpent?" Elijah demanded, pointing to Esther.

"Enough!" Freya interrupted.

She broke the shackles and twisted her wrist. Morgana winced at the harsh crack that rang throughout the tomb as Klaus' neck broke. She called on Air and Earth to soften his landing as he collapsed, since there was no way she would've been fast enough to catch him.

"For an upgraded model, you're not very sharp," Freya quipped as she went to the exit. "Let's go."

Elijah turned to Morgana.

"You go on," she said. "I'm staying here until he wakes up."

"We need all the help we can get," he replied. "Niklaus will be fine."

"Oh, I know that. I just don't trust her." She gestured to Esther.

"She won't do anything."

Morgana sighed. She turned to Esther and looked her up and down, tilting her head. She thrust her hand out, throwing Esther against the wall and holding her there. She applied just enough magical pressure on her throat as she walked up to her.

"If anything happens to him, I will make you beg, and scream, and cry for someone to kill you," Morgana said calmly, enunciating each word carefully. "You're a clever woman, Esther, I'm sure you understand what will happen to you."

She dropped her and followed Elijah out of the tomb. They went to the warehouse where Eva had been hiding the children and met up with Marcel and Vincent, who was the guy Finn had been possessing. Morgana had to admit, it was a little strange to see him and have to remind herself that it wasn't Finn.

Salt and herbs were laid out on the floor in the shape Esther had drawn out. Each corner had a white candle lit, along with Morgana's element candles.

Freya raised her eyebrows at her. "You can control the elements?"

"Yup," Morgana replied.

Before Freya could ask more about it, Marcel carried an unconscious Eva over.

"Lay her inside the circle and lay on either side of her," Freya instructed. "Each of you take her hand."

She turned to Elijah. "I will act as a bridge into her mind, but I'm trusting you to anchor me, brother."

"Do what you need to do," he replied.

"Rebekah is buried deep," she continued as Marcel laid Eva down. "Eva will not give her up without a fight."

"Then she gets a fight," Marcel said.

"You're entering Eva's mind," Morgana reminded him. "If she kills you in there, you'll be lost, so be careful. If you kill her before you get Rebekah then Rebekah will be gone forever. Only when you have Rebekah can Eva be taken care of. So no pressure."

"We got it," Vincent said.

He and Marcel laid down on either side of Eva and took her hands. Freya kneeled next to Vincent.

"You'll need a weapon," she said, pulling out a knife.

"How am I supposed to take that with me?" He asked.

"Nemina fari en mente, nemina fari en mente."

She paused. "This is going to hurt."

She stabbed the knife in his arm. Morgana winced. He yelled in pain before falling unconscious, Marcel following a moment later. Freya stood and walked back over to Elijah and Morgana.

They grabbed on to each other's elbows and nodded. It was time.

"Polto picicio a corozan poltalamus, polto picicio a corozan poltalamus," the girls chanted.

Hoo boy, was this spell something. The rush of power was amazing and overwhelming. It didn't hurt like the one Morgana, Kol and Rebekah had performed at the tomb, but it was still thrilling. This was why Morgana loved being a witch, being able to perform spells and feel the power flow through her. It made her feel strong, like nothing could stop her, even when she felt like the world was crashing down on her.

It would feel even better if she wasn't panicking. Why was she panicking? Because she could feel her grip on Marcel and Vincent loosening.

"I'm losing them!" Freya shouted.

Suddenly Morgana felt someone take her hand. She opened her eyes to see Klaus.

"We're not finished, you and I," he said to Freya. "But for right now, save my sister."

She nodded. Morgana tightened her grip on her and Klaus' hands and closed her eyes again.

"Polto picicio a corozan poltalamus, polto picicio a corozan poltalamus!"

There was a gasp from behind them, and the spell broke. The force shoved the four of them back. Morgana's shoulders heaved as she caught her breath. A hand on her shoulder caught her attention. She looked to see Klaus, who raised his eyebrows at her, silently asking if she was alright. She nodded and looked away as Marcel sat up. Eva's body was still laying on the floor.

"Did it work?" Klaus asked.

Marcel vamp sped to a different part of the warehouse. The others exchanged confused and worried glanced.

"They're okay!" He shouted.

Well, there was a bright side to this. Vincent tended to his wound. Elijah went over to Eva's body. Morgana felt dread creep up on her and took Klaus' hand.

"Why isn't she waking?" He demanded.

Freya shook her head. Eva/Rebekah suddenly gasped and sat up, looking around. Her gaze softened, and she chuckled.

"Bloody hell!" She said.

Morgana relaxed and let out a breathy laugh of her own. Rebekah was back. She gave Klaus' hand a quick squeeze and approached Vincent to help him with his wound.


	11. Night Has A Thousand Eyes

Morgana leaned against the dining room wall, watching Freya prepare her drink. Hayley and Jackson had taken Hope out for a walk around the Quarter today, and Dahlia had possessed not only random people but Jackson as well. Everyone except Jackson and Hope were gathered to discuss their next move.

"Isn't that the point of a fortress?" Klaus was saying. "It does a better job of protecting you when you stay within its walls!"

"Okay, we get it!" Hayley snapped. "Now let's just figure out what the hell we're gonna do."

"What I would like to do is take a strong leash--"

"Children, please," Elijah interrupted. "Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Hayley is quite right. We need to find a new strategy. Freya, if you please."

Freya turned to face them and sighed. "The spell you described, Dahlia calls it kenning, using proxies to watch her enemies from afar. But I've never seen it done on quite this scale."

"Awesome," Hayley said. "So basically every hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential spy."

"The good news is, I know a little about how her magic works." Freya placed the tray of cups on the dining table. "This tonic will at least prevent her from using any of us."

"Well, come on, this should work like a charm," Rebekah said as she and Freya each took a cup.

Elijah sat next to Hayley, and they each took a cup as well. Morgana walked over to the table and picked one up, smelling the contents. She still wanted to trust Freya, but she knew she had to keep her guard up. Nothing seemed wrong with the tonic, though, and she didn't get any bad feelings. Grendel didn't seem bothered, either, so Morgana took that as a good sign.

Elijah handed a cup to Klaus as she sipped at hers. Klaus just stared at it.

"Niklaus, is there something you wish to contribute?" Elijah asked, annoyed.

"I prefer biscuits with my tea," Klaus replied.

"Of course," Elijah muttered, setting the cup back down.

"Besides," Klaus added, "our minds are far too strong to be invaded by kenning spells."

"If only," Morgana murmured into her cup.

He rolled his eyes. "So what we experienced was a test. Dahlia is watching us to see how we respond to aggression. She's preparing for battle. My guess is sooner rather than later."

"Well, if she was watching us, she would know that we have our own army," Hayley replied.

"She also knows where we are, and, given the immense nature of her power, we simply have no idea what to expect from her," Elijah added. "What we need is to create a new stronghold, something that Dahlia knows nothing about--a sanctuary from any witchcraft."

"That's a fine strategy," Freya agreed. "I offer another: we could use Jackson to trace her magic back to its source, find out exactly where she is."

All eyes fell on Hayley. Morgana didn't envy her having to make this decision. She just hoped Jackson would agree, and Hayley.

Hayley sighed. "Fine. Do it."

"Good, then it's settled," Klaus said, smiling. "Off you pop to your respective tasks. Me? I've always been of the opinion that the best defense is a good offense. So I'm gonna find a way to murder that God-forsaken witch."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Hey, hold up," Morgana called.

Klaus stopped and turned. "What is it?"

She looked around, making sure they were alone. She didn't want anyone else to know this.

"I don't know what you're planning," she said. "But Dahlia is a force to be reckoned with."

"Nothing I can't handle, Morgana," he replied.

Morgana groaned and dragged her hand down her face. "Look, just...be careful, Nik, please. Dahlia scares me. I haven't been this scared of a witch—of anyone--since Papa Tunde rolled into town a hundred years ago."

Klaus' face softened. He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'll be fine, love."

Before she could respond, he kissed her forehead and disappeared.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
As Freya drew an infinity symbol on Jackson's chest, Morgana placed her element candles at their proper places. They might not have been absolutely necessary for this, but it never hurt to have the elements help with a spell.

"By doing this, we should be able to trace Dahlia's signature all the way back to the source of her power, but I'll need to dig deep," Freya said. "Rebekah, if I may channel you?"

Rebekah, looking unsure, nodded.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Hayley asked Jackson.

He chuckled nervously. "Piece of cake."

Rebekah and Freya joined hands and began the spell. Morgana called on the elements to aid them.

"Inveniere potencia reparon, inveniere potencia reparon."

Jackson groaned. Rebekah gasped and let go, glancing between her hands and Freya.

"Rebekah, we need to continue," Freya said.

"What's wrong?" Morgana asked.

Rebekah looked at Freya. "You. You're the reason Dahlia's able to cast such powerful spells. She's channeling you."

Morgana narrowed her eyes slightly. Her first thought was that Freya had betrayed them. Easy thing to believe right now. But the more she watched Freya's reaction--shocked and panicked, tears shining in her eyes--the more she was inclined to believe that Freya was just as innocent as the rest of them. Or she was an exceptionally good actress.

"This whole time you've been helping her?" Hayley said.

"I had no idea!" Freya insisted. "She must have found me. She wants to turn you against me!"

Hayley shoved her back. "Get away from my husband!"

Rebekah jumped between them. "Stop!" She put her hand on Freya's shoulder. "Freya, I want to trust you, I do, but you said it yourself: you're bonded to Dahlia. I'm sorry, but it's better that you go. Please."

Freya stared at her, visibly hurt, but she didn't argue. Instead, she turned and left. When she was gone, Morgana turned to the others.

"What now?"  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"What do you mean Freya's gone?" Elijah demanded.

He was back at the compound not long after Freya left. No time was wasted in letting him know what had happened, and to say he wasn't happy was an understatement.

"She was a risk," Hayley argued.

"She's also the one person who intimately understands the enemy we now face!"

"Both of you, just stop it!" Rebekah interrupted.

"I was protecting Hope from someone who it's obvious none of us completely trust," Hayley ignored her.

"Correct, we've done nothing but doubt Freya," Elijah agreed.

He looked at Rebekah. "Nevertheless, she kept her promise and saved your life. We certainly haven't demonstrated the same kindness towards her."

He had a point there.

"Continuing to argue about this will get us nowhere," Morgana said. "If anything, we'll only be wasting time, which, as I'm sure we're all aware, is not something we have an abundance of."

She crossed her arms. "Klaus is out doing whatever the hell it is he's doing. So what are we gonna do?"

"There's a jazz club in Algiers by the name of the St. James Infirmary," Elijah replied. "Marcel has acquired it, and Josephine is fortifying it as a sanctuary against magic."

Josephine must be the elderly witch Klaus had been talking about the other day. Morgana only knew one Josephine who lived in Algiers: Josephine LaRue. Morgana liked her well enough, and if she was doing business with Elijah then they must like each other well enough as well.

Elijah turned to Hayley. "Pack your things. Marcel will escort you and Hope there tonight at nine."

Hayley rolled her eyes as he gestured to Rebekah and Morgana. "You two, with me."

"What for?" Rebekah asked.

"If Freya shall return, we will be here," he explained. "Now, whether we trust her or not, we cannot win this fight without her."

He left the room, leaving them to exchange looks of various unhappiness.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana was passing through the courtyard when the guards started surrounding someone.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"I need to see Elijah," the person said.

"Freya?" Morgana called.

The guards parted just enough for her to see. Sure enough, it was Freya.

"Let her through," Rebekah ordered from behind them. "I'm actually glad you're here."

Elijah joined them. "Freya."

"I saw her," Freya said. "Dahlia."

Morgana's eyes widened.

"She intends to make her move tonight," Freya continued. "Klaus and our father will be her next victims."

"And you have returned to warn the very people who would cast you out?" Elijah asked.

"I understand Klaus' mistrust, as I do yours, but I did not come this far to see my family die at the hands of the very evil that I've tried for so long to escape. I'm begging you, help me save them."

"What do we do?" Morgana asked.

"Dahlia will lure them into a trap," Freya explained. "She prefers places of darkness. She'll be drawn to any site that's been steeped in death."

"Welcome to New Orleans," Rebekah quipped.

"Oh, no, I'm talking about dark power created by massacre, sacred ground that's been stained in the blood of the innocent."

"The church," Morgana said. "The amount of blood spilled there within the past few years is unnerving, to say the least. St. Anne's is the perfect place for evil to be drawn to."  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana flew into the church, landing roughly and cursing vampire speed. Just as she caught her balance, Klaus leaped for Dahlia, who was standing at the sacristy.

Before he caught her, however, she disappeared. He crashed into the sacristy. Morgana flew over and helped him up. He looked shocked and terrified.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"The knife," he said. "The one thing we had that could kill her--it's gone."

She blanched. Then she noticed Mikael, leaning against one of the pews and gasping for air. Morgana's first instinct was to rip his heart out and feed it to him, but she had a feeling that now wasn't the time.

"We all have weaknesses."

They all turned to see Dahlia standing near the entrance, next to a basin.

"You came here united hoping to exploit mine, and in doing so you lost the one thing that you could have used against me," she continued, holding up the knife. "The weapon you created, now rendered useless."

She dropped the knife into the basin. Flames shot up, destroying it. Then she waved her hand, putting them out, and sighed.

"Now that we've dispensed with that little trinket, perhaps we can focus on the issue at hand," she said. "After all, I seek only that which is owed to me, nothing more. Give me the child, and you all may live. Deny me, and, well...you've had a taste for my power. I can't imagine you hunger for more."

Dahlia vanished. Morgana swallowed hard, and caught herself wishing she was powerful enough to teleport like that.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana sighed and lightly banged her head on the counter of the bar in the courtyard. Grendel growled at her.

"Don't hurt yourself, love," Klaus mumbled from beside her.

She stopped, but didn't lift her head. "I can think of a few people I'd like to hurt instead."

"Only a few?"

"In New Orleans."

Footsteps made her look up. Elijah, Rebekah, Freya and Mikael walked in. Morgana sneered at Mikael, who did the same.

"Well, that sounds like a bloody fiasco," Rebekah said. "Where's Dahlia now?"

"She could be anywhere," Elijah replied. "There wasn't a trace of her left in the church."

"She's done with us for the night," Freya said bitterly. "No doubt she wants us to take some time to wallow in our defeat."

"Defeat?" Klaus scoffed. "I disagree. We saw her face. We took her measure. If that's the best she's got, quite frankly I'm unimpressed."

"Her aim was not to impress us," Mikael spat. "She wanted us to reveal our sole weapon and, like fools, we did."

"Am I hearing things, or did Nik just exchange words with our father?" Rebekah asked.

Mikael smiled. "Rebekah. I'd know that wicked tongue anywhere. What mischief have you gotten yourself into now? No doubt the bastard's doing."

Morgana knocked back her bourbon and flicked her wrist. Mikael went flying back into the wall. When he stood up, she smiled at him and waved, flames dancing between her fingers. Apparently he didn't share her sense of humor.

Mikael vamp sped over to her, grabbed her by the neck and shoved her against the wall, snarling. Morgana laughed and held out her hand. Her glass flew to it as Grendel yowled and jumped on Mikael, biting wherever he could. She smashed the glass on the side of Mikael's head and gripped his arm. She summoned Fire and burned his wrist and arm. He shouted and finally released her.

Grendel leaped off him and onto Morgana's shoulder.

"Don't start something you can't finish," she spat.

"Do not underestimate your betters," he retorted.

"You were taken out by an element witch and a Familiar, jackass, think before you speak."

"I don't care what you are, you insolent little--"

" _Enough_ ," Klaus interrupted. "My patience, like this farce of a reunion, is at an end."

"Agreed," Elijah said. "There is only one question here: what exactly are we doing?"

"This was not my plan!" Freya snapped. "You rushed it and made but a single weapon! Of course she took it from you, and now we've lost what advantage we had and used up the very materials we needed to kill her."

"It's a bit histrionic," Klaus mused. "Your materials are easily found. Let's take stock, shall we? There's an ample supply of your blood, Norwegian soil is hardly scarce. What else? Ah, yes, the ashes of Dahlia's Viking oppressors."

"Only priceless relics gotten with great difficulty at a museum, lost due to your worthless strategies," Mikael said.

Klaus vamp sped over to him and forced him against the wall, shoving the tip of the white oak stake in his chest. Freya lunged for Klaus, but Elijah held her back.

"If I feel even the faintest touch of your magic, Freya, I will end him with a flick of my wrist," Klaus threatened, glaring at her over his shoulder.

He looked at Mikael. "You don't seem surprised."

"Betrayal is in your nature, boy," Mikael hissed.

"No, I wasn't born like this," Klaus argued. "Her you fight for, lovely Freya, the daughter you barely know. Yet there was a time when you knew me as your son, a time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal. There were moments when all you had to do was be my father, and even then you despised me, didn't you? I want to know why."

"I don't know," Mikael said softly. "I just did."

There was a long pause as they stared at each other.

"Are those your final words?" Klaus finally demanded.

Mikael looked over to Freya. "Freya, I'm so sorry. I love--"

Before he could finish, Klaus shoved the stake the rest of the way in. Freya screamed and began sobbing uncontrollably. Mikael's body burst into flames. Klaus turned to them.

"Viking ash is indeed rare," he said. "But all you really need is a burning Viking corpse."

He left the courtyard, leaving them all standing there stunned.

Recovering quickly, Morgana set Grendel down on the bar counter and hurried after Klaus. She glimpsed him turning a corner and followed.

"Nik!" She called.

He stopped and turned to face her. As soon as he saw her, his eyebrows drew together and he gently touched her neck. Morgana could only imagine how it looked.

"Morgana, your neck--" Klaus started.

"Will be fine by morning," she cut him off.

She mirrored his expression. "Nik, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

She frowned. "Don't lie to me please, not now."

"I've never lied to you."

"Well, there was the time you nearly burned the compound down and tried to blame it on Elijah."

They chuckled at the memory. Morgana took his hand and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'm here for you, you know."

Klaus stared at her for a long moment. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, burying his face in her neck. She wound her arms around him and threaded her fingers through his hair. He didn't say anything, so she didn't either. Morgana didn't care, as long as Klaus felt better.


	12. When The Levee Breaks

"Is something the matter, brother?" Klaus asked. "Can I fix you a drink, perhaps?"

"Strangely enough, Klaus, I'm not in a mimosa mood," Elijah replied.

"I'll take one," Morgana said.

They were in the dining room for breakfast. Klaus was in a strangely (and unnervingly) good mood, while Elijah was annoyed. Morgana just wished she could sleep through the night without her worries constantly waking her up. Grendel felt the same.

She took the glass Klaus offered and drank half of it in one go. Never underestimate the power of a mimosa.

"Let's discuss strategy, shall we?" Elijah suggested. "Just wondering if you actually have one. We can begin with Mikael's ashes. Given that they are the main ingredient in our weapon against Dahlia, would you care to tell me where they disappeared to?"

Klaus smiled. "Elijah, I have compelled the city's finest pastry chef for your own personal edification, and yet you ignore my efforts in favor of needless concerns."

"Can we please stop talking so loudly?" Rebekah complained as she walked in. She went straight for the coffee pot. "Give me that."

"What's the matter?" Klaus asked. "New witch body not up to last night's bender?"

"So I had a few." She sat down across from him. "It's not every day you lose your father at the hands of your brother. Again."

"Whoever said opportunity only knocks once," he replied, chuckling.

They stared at him, and he scoffed. "Oh, come on! We all fled Mikael's tyranny together for centuries! I thought the mood this morning might be a bit more jubilant!"

"Under normal circumstances the annihilation of our father would be rather commendable, Niklaus," Elijah conceded. "Unfortunately, we have a greater threat to contend with."

"You know, for someone who's been invited to a celebratory breakfast, you're proving quite the buzz kill."

Elijah sighed. "Well, Niklaus, if anything indeed has killed the "buzz", as you say, perhaps it was because murdering Father alienated the one person who truly knows how to defeat Dahlia."

"If Freya wants to be part of this family, she should be willing to accept us, warts and all," Klaus replied.

"Elijah's right," Rebekah cut in. "Freya loved Mikael, and you've likely ruined everything."

"Pity. Whatever shall I do?"

Morgana sighed.

"Whatever you please, apparently!" Elijah retorted.

Klaus slammed his hand on the table.

"That was unnecessary, we know you're here," Morgana said.

"Do not mistake my high spirits for lack of clarity!" He snapped. "I know full well the threat we face. And I intend to deal with it. Personally."

Grendel jumped on her shoulder, fur fluffed out, and dug his claws in slightly. She looked at him. "What's wrong?"

He hissed at Klaus--no, behind Klaus. Before any of them could say anything, the sharp sound of heels clicking on the ground rang out from the courtyard. They rushed out of the dining room to meet the visitor.

"Josephine," Elijah said.

Sure enough, when Morgana stepped out from behind Klaus so she could see, Josephine LaRue was standing before them. A pretty velvet choker was around her neck. Morgana wasn't sure why it seemed so odd to her. Grendel growled low in his throat. The sound immediately put her on edge.

Josephine smiled. "Forgive me for calling so early, Elijah, but I've come bearing a message from your aunt Dahlia. She is owed a debt, and she means to be paid."

"She can writhe in Hell first," Klaus replied.

"For merely taking what your mother promised her?" She asked. "If you must harbor hatred, isn't it better spent on the one who traded your child away a thousand years ago? Blame Esther if you must, but I only seek to fulfill a bargain. A bargain that, consequently, resulted in your very existence. Perhaps you should be thanking me."

The moment Josephine began referring to Dahlia as if she were talking about herself, Morgana's stomach dropped, and Grendel's growls grew more vicious.

"Dahlia," Elijah said.

Josephine--Dahlia--smiled. "My child, I prefer Aunt Dahlia."

"You dare enter my home?" Klaus demanded.

She smiled. Blood began to dribble from under the choker. "I only came for what is mine. The time has come to add the child's power to my own. Though I do not detect her here. I see you've used a spell to cloak her. No matter. Such spells will yield, as will you. Say your farewells. You have till nightfall tomorrow, and then the child shall be mine. Be a dear and inform the mother. No reason we can't be civilized about this."

Klaus looked over at Elijah. Then he swung his arm and chopped Josephine's/Dahlia's head clean off.

Wonderful.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana found Klaus in the study. "Hey."

"I will not disclose the location of Mikael's ashes, so don't bother asking," he said.

She frowned. "Okay, look. I'm not going to ask you where they are. Clearly you have some sort of plan cooked up."

Her face softened. "And while I may not understand why you refuse to share it with any of us, or the location of the ashes, I trust that you know what you're doing. I trust you, Nik. So if you need something from me, just let me know."

He just nodded. Morgana quietly sighed and left the room. She could only hope he listened to her.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Of course I tried to call you, Elijah, but since Dahlia was able to take down both Klaus and Mikael I'm guessing that a cell phone tower was a piece of cake," Hayley hissed.

As soon as they'd heard, Morgana and Elijah had rushed to the safe house in Algiers. Apparently Dahlia had paid a visit.

"And where were the wolves who stood guard?" Elijah asked.

"Getting their asses handed to them by Dahlia, just like Klaus did."

Just then Klaus walked in, looking incredibly pissed. "That's it, you're coming with me to the compound."

"Where Dahlia sent Josephine this morning?" Hayley replied incredulously. "No way! We'd be sitting ducks, just like we will be here as soon as the spell breaks."

She sighed. "Which is why we have to go."

Morgana stared at her, eyes wide.

"Jackson is out getting supplies," Hayley continued. "And then we're taking the wolves and we're headed to the bayou."

"The swamp?" Klaus demanded. "So my child can be protected by the very wolves Dahlia so easily defeated? Absolutely not."

Hayley stormed past Elijah and got in Klaus' face. "You know, I am so done taking advice from you, Klaus. All it has done so far is put Hope in danger. From now on I am going to do what I want. We're leaving."

She pushed past him, but he grabbed her shoulder and stopped her.

"You're not going anywhere unless I tell you to," he spat.

"I am not your prisoner, Klaus!" she shouted.

"Stop it!" Morgana interrupted. "There will be plenty of time to yell, and scream, and fight until you're both miserable and exhausted, but right now there are much better things to spend our energy on than making enemies of each other!"

"We're playing into Dahlia's hands," Elijah added.

"Not doing as I say plays into her hands," Klaus argued. "While you two have been kowtowing to Freya and devising ways to flee with your tail between your legs, I've been forging a new path. I know what Freya was planning, and I know how to kill Dahlia. Freya objected to us making a single weapon because it spoiled her plan."

"Klaus!" Jackson's voice rang out from outside.

They turned to see him and another werewolf storming in with someone slung over his shoulders. He laid them on the table. It was Aiden. There were claw marks across his face, puncture wounds on the side of his neck, and a bloody hole in his chest.

"What happened?" Hayley demanded.

"Klaus made Aiden spy on us," Jackson explained. "Instead he told me everything, and you killed him!"

"You killed him, one of the wolves sworn to protect our daughter?" Hayley asked.

All eyes fell on Klaus. But he was hesitating.

Morgana narrowed her eyes. It wasn't like him to hesitate when it came to admitting he killed someone. And the look on his face...he seemed just as shocked as everyone else.

And then he smiled. "So what if I did? This is what happens to anyone who crosses me!"

"Just give us the word, Jackson," the werewolf hissed.

"Yes!" Klaus agreed. "Come and have a go, but you'll be putting your life on the line for one who was all too willing to betray you. Perhaps this never would've happened if he'd had a real Alpha."

Jackson lunged for him. They exchanged a few hits, Hayley jumping into the fray as well, before Elijah separated them. Jackson tried to lunge for Klaus again, but Elijah's grip was too strong.

"Do you wish to die?" Elijah asked.

Hayley lunged for him and shoved him back. Startled, he released Jackson and Klaus.

"You wanna kill me too, Elijah?" She growled. "If you come at him, you come at me."

"You lot should make better use of your time," Klaus said. "I suggest burying your dead."

" _Get out!_ " Hayley screamed.

"Niklaus, you mentioned a plan," Elijah said. "I recommend you begin. Hayley and Hope are safe for the time being. They're not going anywhere."

"Shan't be long," Klaus replied, and vamp sped away.

Jackson and the werewolf left with Aiden's body.

Morgana went to the bar and began hunting for something to drink. She couldn't believe this was happening. Everything was boiling over, and they hadn't even taken care of Dahlia yet.

She found a bottle at the bottom of the shelf. Probably not the greatest, but she really didn't care. She uncapped it and took a long swig.

"Anyone want a drink?" She muttered.

"No thank you," Elijah replied.

Hayley shook her head.

Morgana stared at the body in her hands. None of it made sense, there was no reason for Klaus to kill Aiden. Not that he needed a proper reason for murder...but killing someone now, someone who had sworn to protect Hope, when someone like Dahlia was still around?

Grendel meowed at her. Morgana blinked at him. She hadn't realized how tight her grip was on the bottle; her knuckles had gone white. She scratched behind his ears and relaxed her grip. She took another drink. Then she threw the bottle as hard as she could at the nearest wall.

The bottle shattered, glass and alcohol flying everywhere. Morgana deflected anything that came her way with some magic. Then she put Grendel on her shoulder and headed for the exit. She didn't miss Elijah and Hayley's stunned expressions.

"I'm going back to the compound," she announced.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Halfway there, Morgana had realized that she might as well fly. Given how late it was--and, as a result, how dark it was--and let's not forget Dahlia lurking around somewhere, it was probably safer than walking. It was times like these where she wished she hadn't given up her car all those months ago.

Now, as she entered the compound, she hoped her gut--and her heart--were right.

"Klaus!" She called.

Even though there was no response, Morgana kept calling him. Grendel jumped off her shoulder, looking back at her. She followed him upstairs, still calling for Klaus.

"Nik, please, I know you're here! Don't ignore me! You know I don't care for being ignored!"

She had to find him, to tell him that she knew he didn't kill Aiden, that she refused to believe it. She had seen the look on his face, she knew he was lying, she just wanted to know why.

Grendel led her to Klaus' room. They froze in the doorway, and Morgana's heart dropped as she gasped.

Freya and Rebekah were standing in front of her. Further in the room was Elijah and Klaus. Klaus was slumped over on the floor, desiccated, with the handle of a knife sticking out of his chest.

In the distance, church bells rang out an eerie melody.


	13. City Beneath The Sea

"Alright, I'm here, what--oh what the hell," Morgana said, entering the St. James Infirmary.

Marcel had texted her asking for help with Rebekah. She arrived just as a couple of people were forcing Vincent in as well.

Grendel hopped off her shoulder and on to the table, nudging his head against Rebekah's arm.

"Could've just sent me a text," Vincent snapped.

"Well, Marcel's in a very kidnappy mood this morning," Rebekah replied. "But since you're here, unlink me. I've got a thousand places I'd rather be."

"Hoo boy, guys," Morgana said, leaning on the table. "That's some dark magic there."

"It's tricky," Vincent agreed.

"One wrong move and...well, it wouldn't be good," she added.

Rebekah and Marcel exchanged a look.

"Alright," Vincent said. "I can reverse-engineer Eva's work, but it's gonna take some time, and you're gonna have to do your own magic."

"She's not exactly a pro," Marcel argued.

"Well, she is exactly in the host body that's at the center of the link. Besides," Vincent added, "I've done my last bit of magic. Now I want to help the kids, but after that I'm done. No more witch business."

"Fine," Marcel replied, leaving. "Get it done. I'll touch base later."

"And when we're done, we're all done," Vincent called after him. "I'm not your witch for hire."

"He's right," Morgana agreed. "That's my thing."

Rebekah smiled.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana ran a hand through her hair as she tried to work out a spell. This wasn't going as quickly as she'd thought it would.

"What's a good jazz club with no bloody jazz?" Rebekah complained, sifting through old records.

"Do you mind?" Vincent replied. "I'm trying to reverse a very complicated sacrifice, and you whining about jazz is not helping me."

"I'm afraid we have more pressing concerns," Elijah said. He was carrying a medium-sized box, Cami right behind him.

"What's in there?" Morgana asked.

"Dark objects," Cami replied. "Because apparently now I'm a dispensary."

"It seems that Niklaus' distrust of Freya was not entirely misplaced," Elijah said. "Our sister want to use Hope to lure Dahlia into a trap."

"And I assume you told her she's out of her lunatic mind?" Rebekah asked.

"I have another idea. Hope is something of a beacon for this new terror, and now that she's been cloaked, perhaps we could use something else to ensnare Dahlia. These enchanted objects should generate enough power to create a decoy of some kind."

Vincent shook his head and turned to leave.

"Mr. Griffith, where do you think you're going?" Elijah asked.

"I agreed to help Rebekah break her bond with them eight kids," Vincent replied. "When you want to get back to that, text me."

"Right now I need the best minds and the most formidable witches in this city. Mr. Griffith, do you have any idea the danger my niece now faces?"

"I wish her well, I really do. But I'm done with magic, and this ain't my fight."

Elijah grabbed Vincent by the neck and held him up against the wall. Morgana cursed.

"Elijah, no, what the hell are you gonna do?!" She demanded. "Kill him?! Because that's gonna go over well! Put him down! You have us, and we can ask Davina, just let. Him. Go."

After what was possibly the longest moment Morgana experienced in the last decade, Elijah set Vincent down. Vincent shook his head again and left.

"Dahlia demanded Hope by nightfall," Elijah said, heading for the exit. "Time is of the essence."  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Luckily, Davina was willing to help them. Together the four of them were pouring over every spell and magical object they could find. Grendel was off in the corner of the tomb, chasing the mice that darted around.

"You really went all out cataloguing this stuff," Davina said. "Have you diagnosed yourself with OCD yet?"

She wasn't being that dramatic, actually. The book she was flipping through not only had the names and descriptions of the objects but pictures as well.

"Very funny," Cami replied. "It's my family's legacy. I guess I'm done pretending I can stay out of it."

"Unless there's something in that ledger about mimicking a magical tribrid baby, we're up the creek," Rebekah said.

She wandered over from the shelves she was perusing and looked at the cloth. She grabbed it, ready to pull it off.

"Don't touch that," Davina warned.

But she was too late. Rebekah had already pulled off the cloth, exposing arranged spell ingredients.

"A resurrection spell," Morgana observed.

"What exactly are you up to?" Rebekah asked Davina.

"It's for Kol," she replied, covering the things back up. "Remember him, the brother you swore to save?"

"I have every intention of..." Rebekah trailed off.

"What?" Morgana asked.

Rebekah went back over to the shelves. "When Kol was trying to find a way out of dying, he used representational magic. He tried to transfer the curse into a clay doll, a golem." She pulled one off the shelves. "Here."

"She's right," Davina said. "If we can find a way to replicate the baby's power source and transfer into a doll..."

"Then we'll have our decoy," Morgana finished.

No time was wasted. Cami went out for coffee, and the others set to work.

"There's a problem," Morgana groaned. "In order for this to work, in order to convince Dahlia, we need a heartbeat. No witch as clever and powerful as her is gonna be fooled without it."

"How the bloody hell do we create a heartbeat?" Rebekah asked.

"We don't. Not to my knowledge, at least. I mean, a year ago I would've laughed at the thought, but at this point it wouldn't surprise me."

They continued working, trying this thing and that with no luck. Things were set on fire, then put out just as fast. Dark objects were sorted through like they were nothing. That was exactly what they were coming up with: nothing.

Until Cami came back with coffee and a piece of paper.

"Vincent gave me this," she said.

Morgana took it and opened it.

"It's a spell," she said. "Simplified down to the finest detail, pronunciations, every little thing a witch could need."

She noticed something else on the corner, something that didn't seem to belong. Morgana smiled.

"He gave us a way to create a heartbeat."  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana stood next to Rebekah and Elijah in the study that night. Freya was downstairs in the courtyard, setting the trap up. Elijah had injected her with Hope's blood, and the spell the girls had placed on it had ensured that Dahlia would think Freya's heartbeat was Hope's.

Now, however, they were listening to a message Hayley had left on Elijah's phone.

"Elijah, I'm calling to say goodbye. Hope and I, we can't be a part of your family anymore. All Hope's life, her family has tried to   
destroy her. That can't be my little girl's story. Family is supposed to love you. Even if she is free of Dahlia's firstborn curse, Hope would still be Klaus' daughter. She'd inherit a thousand years of enemies, all his anger and rage. I don't want Hope to be a Mikaelson. All the pain that comes with that name...she doesn't deserve that."

There was a pause.

"Elijah, goodbye."

Morgana took a deep breath, sharing looks with the siblings.

"She's right," Rebekah said.

Maybe so. But something didn't sit right with her. Something bad was going to happen, something other than Dahlia. Morgana wasn't sure what.


	14. Fire With Fire

Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance. This time it wasn't Morgana's fault. She wished it was.

"Alright then," Rebekah said. "Simple bit of witchy business. How difficult can it be?"

They, along with Davina and Vincent, were in the cemetery, standing at the altar where Genevieve had tried to kill Hope all those months ago. The ingredients for the spell were laid out on the altar, as well as Morgana's candles. She, Davina and Rebekah would be performing the spell; Vincent would watch.

"Remember," he said. "The hard part was Eva linking herself to the kids, and now it's your body. Just gotta do the unlinking yourself. Read what I wrote, abracadabra, the link's severed."

"Lovely," Rebekah replied. "Here's hoping I don't turn us all into a horde of bullfrogs."

Thunder rumbled, closer this time. The girls joined hands and began chanting.

"Sei pour sae kie sei mare noock virgam. Sei pour sae kie sei mare noock virgam."

"Almost there, keep going," Vincent encouraged.

"Sei pour sae kie sei mare noock virgam."

They gasped as the magic forced them apart.

"Is it finished?" Rebekah asked.

"Only one way to find out," Morgana replied.

Vincent pulled out and knife and handed it to Rebekah. She took it and made a small cut on her finger. Morgana held her breath. They turned to Davina, who held up her finger. Nothing.

Morgana exhaled and smiled, thanking whoever was listening that it worked. Thunder cracked over their heads.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
As soon as she entered the study, Morgana headed straight for the bar and got herself a drink.

"It's done," Rebekah said. "I'm delinked from those children, the covens are most grateful, and we even beat the rain."

"I trust Davina will play her part," Elijah replied.

"Yeah, against my better judgement," Marcel grumbled.

"Stop being so overprotective," Rebekah chided.

"If Davina is made regent to all nine covens, she'll get the power to resurrect Kol," Morgana said.

"And the political clout to connect the witches to our cause," Rebekah added.

"Don't pop the champagne just yet," Marcel said. "Dahlia said she'd come for the baby, and now a storm springs up out of nowhere. Do you really think that's coincidence?"

"Regardless of her power, she needs to be stopped," Elijah replied. "Fortunately, we have a weapon."

Having finished her spell, Freya stood up from the couch.

"Look, no offense, but are we really gonna put all our eggs into one still-kind-of-mysterious basket?" Marcel asked.

"I assure you I am quite motivated to aid in Dahlia's defeat," Freya replied coolly. "Particularly now that Elijah has forced me to be the bait."

"And if we should fail, Davina and the witches will take up the task, at the very least distracting Dahlia long enough for Hope and Hayley to disappear," Elijah added.

Wind whipped through the room from an open window. Rebekah went over and shut it.

"Elijah," she said.

He and Morgana went over to her and found blood on the window. They rushed to the room where Klaus was, only to find an empty coffin.

"Where the hell did he go?" Morgana whispered.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Klaus was still missing. Dahlia had yet to come. The storm had stopped, but whether or not that was a good thing, Morgana didn't know.

"Until Niklaus is found, Marcel and his men will scour the city," Elijah said, walking through the courtyard. Rebekah and Morgana were right behind him.

"Assuming Nik doesn't slaughter them," Rebekah replied. "You know as well as I do he'll be on the warpath, which again raises the question how the hell is he awake?"

"It was Dahlia," Freya said. They turned to her.

"This was all part of her plan," she continued. "No doubt she killed Aiden, hoping that the blame would fall on Klaus, the family would divide, and she could win Klaus to her cause."

"That is absurd," Elijah protested.

"Nik would never align with Dahlia," Rebekah added.

"You continue to defend him," Freya mused.

"He'd kill anyone who would try to take Hope," Morgana said.

"Isn't it Hayley who is trying to take his daughter?"

"Their daughter," Elijah corrected. "Let's not forget Dahlia's the true enemy here."

"How good then that I finished my spell," Freya replied. "The ingredients in the paint of his artwork combined with my blood will render Dahlia vulnerable. The moment she passes between these paintings, she will be mortal."

She pulled out a knife and handed it to Elijah. "You can kill her using this."

"Father's knife," he observed.

"I thought it appropriate."

He paused. "We have a visitor." He vamp sped away.

When he returned only minutes later, they went upstairs.

"I knew he didn't kill Aiden," Morgana muttered.

"If you were so certain, why didn't you say anything before?" Elijah asked.

She shot him a glare. "I was going to, but by the time I arrived there was already a dagger in his heart."

He looked away.

Freya began preparing the golem.

"And you're certain this will work?" He asked.

"Let's not throw around words like 'certain'," Rebekah muttered.

"Nonsense," Freya said. "You grow more adept with magic each day, and this spell is flawless. Though I might have preferred Elijah ask my permission before volunteering me as the bait."

"I'm not in the habit of asking permission," Elijah replied.

"No matter," Freya dismissed. "We have all that we need."

She turned to the girls. "Rebekah and Morgana will perform the spell, using my heartbeat and the golem to craft the illusion of Hope's presence."

She turned to Elijah. "Once Dahlia's lured into the killing ground, you will do what is necessary."

"You're rather calm, which is odd since there are a million ways this whole plan could fall to pieces," Rebekah said.

"I admit, at first I was upset when Elijah ignored my plan in favor of his own," Freya began, walking around them to look at the paintings on the wall. "You are all so determined to protect Hope at all cost. Perhaps I'm envious. No one ever fought so hard to protect me."

She turned back to them, looking at Elijah. "Then I recalled what I saw when I looked inside your mind, the day you all swore an oath to stand by one another, always and forever. There's strength in such vows."

"I can assure you, it has not been free of consequence," Elijah replied.

"That is an understatement," Rebekah agreed. "Ask me, that vow's been more trouble than it's worth."

"And yet here you are, proving my point," Freya argued. "Family defines you, even if it does demand sacrifice. My entire life I have longed for what you have. It is better to at least glimpse it facing death than run forever and know nothing of family."

There was a pause as her words sank in. It was broken by Grendel meowing from the bannister above Morgana's head. They looked up.

Morgana rolled her eyes and held out her arms. He crouched and jumped down. She caught him easily, rolling her eyes again as he climbed up to her shoulder.

"I'm gonna go set up my candles," she said, heading for the exit.

"Where do you even hide them?" Rebekah asked. "You never carry a bag."

Morgana turned around, smirking, and slowly walked backwards. "I've got candles hidden all over the city. It's all a matter of looking in the right places."

With that, she left to pull some out of one of those places. Once they were in position, she joined Rebekah for the spell, bringing another set of candles for good measure.

Her heart pounded so hard it was almost painful. Freya was down in the courtyard in the trap. Elijah was hiding somewhere close by.  
In the distance, the church bells rang out a familiar, eerie melody.

Morgana and Rebekah quickly joined hands and began the spell.

"Sin eh-tey ex avan-ha vin tan-took koh. Sin eh-tey ex avan-ha vin tan-took koh. Sin eh-tey ex avan-ha vin tan-took koh."

Suddenly Rebekah stopped. Morgana opened her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Rebekah was looking past her. "Marcel?"

Morgana turned to see him. He didn't look good, he looked remorseful, like he was about to do something he would regret.

"I'm sorry," he said.

He knocked Morgana out of the way and grabbed Rebekah. Before either of them could do anything to stop him, both were cuffed with the magic-blocking shackles. Grendel growled at him.

"Marcellus, what the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Morgana demanded.

Screaming came from the courtyard. Morgana went for the exit, but Marcel held her back.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you," he said.

"Why the hell not?!" Rebekah demanded.

"He compelled me!"

Morgana felt the blood drain from her face. She knew exactly who he was talking about. But surely there was no way he would...no. No, she refused to believe it.

"Grendel, hide," she whispered.

He looked at her.

"Please."

He hesitated a moment longer before bounding off somewhere.

Marcel forced them out into the courtyard. Elijah was on the ground, unconscious, as was Cami. There was a burnt body by the fountain. Freya was nowhere to be seen. Dahlia was lurking in the back. Klaus was standing in front of them. 

"Have you lost your mind?!" Rebekah shouted.

"My mind is quite clear," he replied. "I just decided to purge it of treacherous barnacles."

"Bastard, how could you?"

"Actually, it was quite simple. I just recalled what Elijah did to me and reciprocated tenfold. Be careful, or I'll apply the same equation to you."

He turned to Marcel. "Marcellus, keep Rebekah here. If she tries to leave...well, you do enjoy life as a mortal, you can punish her by taking that life away."

"Go to hell," Marcel spat.

"If by hell you mean somewhere you are betrayed by those you hold most dear, then it's from hell I've just come! I didn't much care for it. Do as your told, there's a good lad."

Morgana stepped forward and got in his face. "And me, Niklaus? You gonna kill me too?"

Klaus cupped her face. He never said a word. All he did was jerk his hand, and for the sixth time in her life, Morgana died.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana shot up, gasping for air and grabbing at her neck.

"Morgana?" Cami called.

"Cami-- _hell_ , are you okay?" She replied.

"I've been better."

Cami grabbed the knife that was laying on the ground and crawled over to Elijah. She raised the knife up and drove it into his chest. Then she dragged it down, reached inside the hole she made and pulled out Papa Tunde's blade.

Elijah sat up, gasping.

"Elijah?" Cami said. "Elijah, you have to listen to me. He got inside my head, he spoke to me."

"You've lost your mind," Elijah said. "He has lost his mind."

"He needs her to trust him so he can do what he needs to do!"

Grendel burst out of his hiding place and launched himself at Morgana, who had propped herself up against the fountain. She caught him and held him to her. He licked her neck and under her chin.

"He had to make it look convincing," Cami continued. "He told me her secret. I know how we can kill Dahlia."


	15. Ashes to Ashes

"So now that you have healed, what do you mean Niklaus had a plan?" Elijah growled.

A strange thing, really. Morgana rarely ever saw him angry, and was honestly a bit intimidated by it.

Cami winced as she swallowed the last of the blood in her glass.

"We had a plan!" He shouted. "A plan he has mercilessly destroyed!"

"Your plan wouldn't have worked, Elijah," she replied. "When Klaus got into my head, he said your plan would fail, so he had to enact one of his own."

"And what might that be?"

"He has to get her to link to him."

Morgana blanched. Elijah stalked closer to Cami.

"My brother wishes to bind himself to our enemy?" He hissed. "She'll be virtually indestructible."

"He said I had to convince you that everything he had to do he had to do alone," Cami replied. "You had the wrong ingredients to kill Dahlia, and he has to buy time before he finds the right ones."

They paused.

"I'm sorry about your friend," she finally said.

"Are you?" He asked.

"I'm not condoning Klaus' actions, I'm trying to help you. All I know is Klaus will do whatever he has to do for--"

"Klaus will do whatever he has to do for Klaus. Now Hayley is not answering her phone. What has he done?"

"Don't blame the messenger," Rebekah interrupted. She was in her original body. Marcel was with her.

"Rebekah," Morgana breathed, eyes wide.

"Looks like Niklaus had a lot on his to-do list last night," Rebekah said. "And as for Hayley..."

"What is it?" Elijah asked.

"When Klaus attacked me, he stole the spell that I used on the Crescent wolves," Marcel replied.

"So he would condemn her to the body of a beast?!" Elijah shouted.

"Elijah, listen to me," Rebekah replied. "Hayley will be human once a month. We will find her, and we will help her. We need to focus on those who need saving today.

"Freya called. Dahlia is incapacitated. They are two hours north an orchard near Pearl River. She has Hope."

Elijah vamp sped away. Morgana went to collect her candles. And possibly to take some of her frustration out on a wall.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana couldn't lie, seeing Klaus laying desiccated on the floor with a dagger in his chest wasn't something enjoyed. Dahlia, on the other hand...

"Nik is demented," Rebekah exclaimed. "Are we really to dig up our mother, burn her to ash, swap said ash for Kol's, and then trick Davina into using up her last chance to bring someone back from the dead? Not to mention we lose the opportunity to save Kol if Davina doesn't turn us inside out."

"Or we dig a deep hole and leave our problems at the bottom of it," Freya suggested. "I say we choose a more permanent option: find the white oak stake, kill Klaus. Dahlia dies with him."

"Absolutely not," Morgana growled.

"So do I and every other vampire that Klaus has turned," Marcel said at the same time.

They paused. There was a strange sound, like something dripping.

"The dagger," Rebekah said.

It was melting from the hilt down.

"We have no choice but to finish the task Niklaus has set," Elijah sighed.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Elijah said Klaus kept Kol's ashes in a blue urn," Marcel said.

"Wish he would've said where," Morgana grumbled.

They, along with Freya, were searching the compound for it. Klaus and Dahlia were still downstairs, and Elijah and Rebekah had gone to dig up and burn Esther's body.

"Heaven forbid one thing not be a damn secret in this family," Marcel complained.

"Yet, despite your anger, here you are casting your lot with Klaus," Freya replied. "Is that because you believe his plan's going to work?"

"That is the Mikaelson paradox: you wanna love and kill each other all at the same time."

The next few minutes were spent in silence. Each of them were in separate rooms yet well within earshot. Vampire hearing didn't count since Marcel was the only vampire in the compound.

"I should just try a locator spell," Morgana muttered, joining Freya.

Marcel started laughing. Morgana raised an eyebrow and turned to face him as he walked in, hands on her hips. Whatever snappy comment she was about to make died on her lips, however, because he was holding the urn.

"Look who got lucky!" He said.

He opened the top and looked inside. The satisfaction disappeared from the air as he tipped it and nothing came out.

Morgana groaned.

"Either you have a curious definition of luck or someone got to those ashes before we did," Freya said.

"Alright," Marcel replied. "We better find a way to stop that dagger from melting, because if the thief is who I think it is we've got a problem."

The three of them hurried back downstairs. Morgana and Freya tried spell after spell on the dagger to try and stop it from melting or, at the very least, slow the process down, but no such luck.

"It's no use," Freya sighed. "We can't slow her magic. Everything we're trying fails."

Morgana just grumbled out a string of curses.

"There's gotta be a way to kill her," Marcel said.

"There is," Freya replied, pulling out the white oak stake.

"Freya, no!" Morgana shouted.

She and Marcel tried to take it from her, but she forced them back with her magic. She held the stake over Klaus' heart.

"Freya, please, we can find another way," Morgana pleaded.

"There is no other way!" Freya insisted.

"You kill him, you kill me too!" Marcel said.

"I don't want to kill you!" She admitted. "I don't want to kill him. This is the family I've longed for, but because of her I'll forever be alone."

Just as she was about to drive the stake through Klaus' heart, his hand caught her wrist.

"Sister," he whispered.

Morgana let out a sigh of relief and felt Freya's hold on her disappear.

Wait. If Klaus was awake, then...

She and Marcel quickly backed away from Dahlia, who was also now awake.

"I'm almost impressed by the lengths you'd go to for your little girl," Dahlia said, standing. "Though not enough to let bygones be."

She held out her hand, and the stake flew into her grasp. She pointed it at Klaus.

"We are still linked, dear aunt," he reminded her. "You may not want to punish me with that particular weapon."

"I made sure that the link between us melted with that dagger. Meaning I'm quite free to kill you."

Dahlia held out her other hand, and Klaus began sliding forward. Marcel tackled him out of the way, and she disappeared with Freya.

Morgana, Klaus and Marcel ran up to Hope's room. It was covered in black dahlia plants, but Hope was still in her crib, crying.

"Why didn't she take Hope?" Marcel asked.

"Because all she needed was a drop of her blood," Klaus replied. "Unfortunately, I have no idea where that vile harpy has fled to."

"Alright, go get Hope somewhere safe," Marcel said. "I'll track down your witch, and when this is over you and I are gonna settle up."

"Provided we survive what's to come tonight, I look forward to it," Klaus replied.

"Marcel, slow down, I'm coming with you," Morgana called.

He glanced over his shoulder. "You're not staying here?"

"Two witches are better than one," she replied. "And I like Davina. She reminds me of myself when I was younger."  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"I am regent of all nine covens," Davina was saying. "I will turn every single witch against that family until they're broken."

Marcel entered the room. "Fair enough. All I ask is that the war wait one day, just one day."

Morgana joined him.

"What are you two doing here?" Davina asked.

"You're right," he replied. "You're learning what I've known for over 200 years: that if you're not a Mikaelson, you're cannon fodder. But right now, their problem is my problem. I need you to find Dahlia."

"You want me to help them?" She asked incredulously.

"Dahlia wants to kill them all," Morgana said. "If Niklaus dies, Marcel dies. Josh dies."

"Help us right now, and we all live to fight another day," Marcel added.

Davina hesitated, looking between them. Vincent watched silently from behind her.

"Fine," she finally agreed.

Morgana walked back out of the room and returned with a set of her candles. Once they were set up, she and Davina began the spell.

"Ce che vous, pro la busque. Ce che vous, pro la busque."

When they got the location, Morgana thanked Davina, called on Air and flew out of the tomb and to the compound.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
She ran in one of the rooms from the hall. "We found her."

And then she noticed a chained blonde woman sitting with Elijah. Morgana's first thoughts was who the hell is that, but then she remembered the whole ashes thing and realized that this was Esther.

"Let me guess," Esther said, ignoring her. "You brought me back from the dead to torture me."

"My dear mother," Elijah replied. "We simply need your blood. But in the event that you should suffer horribly, I can't promise I won't enjoy it immensely."

The doors swung open, revealing Klaus. "Ah, mother, I've arrived just in time for another of your deaths. And as much as I appreciate the front row seat, I'm afraid I'm going to have to postpone the festivities."

"You're in excellent spirits," Elijah said.

"Lucky for you, as I'm the one needed to save the day," Klaus replied.

"Is that what it's called?"

"Why not? My plan's worked perfectly."

Morgana tensed as Elijah took a quick step towards Klaus.

"Easy, Elijah," Klaus said. "I can see your red door swinging wide open, but our job's not done yet."

"Shall we kill her and be done with it?" Elijah demanded.

"To be clear, I do want her blood," Klaus replied, pulling out a knife. "But I want it on this blade, which I've had bound with the soil from Dahlia's homeland, not to mention Viking ash. Mother's demise will have to wait. You see, I need her to weaken Dahlia's defenses, bit of psychological warfare if you will, before I slaughter the both of you."

"Ah, yes, you expect me to walk willingly to my death," Esther said.

"Your willing participation would have been a bonus, but it's far from necessary," Klaus replied. "If need be, I'll drag you there myself."

Rebekah walked in. "Yes, dear mother, you do not have a choice. Then again, why should you be any different from the rest of us? We're all dancing puppets in Nik's end-of-days marionette show. He forces every move we make."

"And how long are you gonna stand there and pretend you don't need me to?" Klaus retorted. "The both of you have found me at every turn, leaving me no choice but to act alone. We're no strangers to disagreements on the battlefield, but we also have a very long history of doing whatever it takes to win the war."

"And what of Gia?" Elijah asked, stepping forward. "Hayley?"

Klaus smirked. "Collateral damage."

Morgana stared at him, eyes wide and mouth open. She wasn't surprised (okay, maybe a little) when Elijah punched him.

"You claim your actions are part of some ruse," Elijah said. "This was punishment."

"Punishment?" Klaus replied dryly. "Whatever for? Perhaps the dagger you put in my heart."

"You brought that upon yourself."

Klaus opened his mouth to retort, but Elijah pointed at him.

"No," Elijah said. "We have fought together for centuries, and once again, to break your enemy, you broke your family.

"Well, know this: whatever the outcome tonight, you will no longer see me by your side. You want to be alone? Congratulations. You have your wish."

He grabbed Esther's chains, pulled her to her feet and led her out. "Come, Mother. Time to kill some family."

Suffice to say the others were shocked.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana decided she wouldn’t be joining them for this fight. The final battle wasn’t hers to fight this time. Though she had to admit, it was strange and uncomfortable to stay behind and wait.

They didn't return until an hour later. They were all fine, Dahlia and Esther were dead, and Hope was safe again. With that knowledge, Morgana caught up on some sleep.

The next morning, she thought it was just her and Grendel in the compound, given how quiet it was. She was absolutely wrong.

Someone knocked on her bedroom door. She turned to see Rebekah, in her witch body.

Morgana smiled. "Let me guess: you're leaving?"

"Afraid so," Rebekah replied. "I made a promise to save Kol, and I intend to keep it."

"Well, don't be a stranger."

They hugged. They might have squeezed a bit too tight, but neither of them seemed to mind.

Morgana kissed her cheek as they pulled back. "Take care, Bekah."

"You as well," she replied.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Morgana zipped her bag shut. Grendel climbed on top of it, making her smile and scratch his chin.

"Going somewhere?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face Klaus.

"Yeah, actually, I am," she replied. "I managed to get my old apartment back, so I'm headed there."

"It's safer for you to stay here."

"No. I'm not staying here, Klaus. It's a miracle I'm even staying in New Orleans after what you did."

He opened his mouth, but she held up her hand. "Do not try to justify your actions. I understand what your plan was, but you didn't have to go the lengths you went to. You could've told us. You could've told me."

"Even if I had told you, none of you would have believed me!"

"I would have believed you! I didn't believe that you killed Aiden. Hell, Klaus, I trusted you! I wish you would've trusted me!"

"I do trust you, Morgana."

"Don't lie to me. If you truly trusted me, you would've told me about your plan. If you trusted me, you wouldn't have snapped my neck. Instead, you let anger and revenge overcome you and you decided to make us suffer. You hurt Elijah, Rebekah, Hayley, Marcel, Cami. You hurt me."

Grendel jumped on her shoulder and she picked up her bag.

"I'm going to reverse that curse you helped put on Hayley. Hope needs her mother, Niklaus. I will not let you take that away from her. If you try to stop me, you won't even know what hit you."

Morgana passed him. She paused in the doorway and turned around.

"I only ever stayed because of you," she whispered.

Klaus turned to look at her, eyes wide.

"But not anymore. Now I'm only staying because of Hope."

With that, Morgana left the compound with tears in her eyes.


End file.
